Pittsburgh City Council begins discussions on city-wide curfew for local youths
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh City Council has started the conversation about what to do for youth violence.
Council President Theresa Kail-Smith introduced legislation to talk about the enforcement of the city's curfew.
President Kail-Smith said something needs to be done about youth violence in the city and wants it done before the spring to help protect kids.
She using the current curfew ordinance, which has actually been on the books since 1995, as a springboard to start this conversation.
At the end of the Pittsburgh City Council's meeting, the hard talk of what to do with addressing youth violence began.
"You either want to play politics or you want to help kids," City Council President, Theresa Kail-Smith, said.
She argued that the council can't just sit idle and wait for the problem to solve itself.
Council members, along with Mayor Ed Gainey's office, seemed to back the idea of curfew centers, which would also act as resource centers for kids.
President Kail-Smith said those would be to help keep children safe and work with families on their particular needs.
"The bottom line is we need to come together to stop the violence in the city and keep the kids alive," Kail-Smith added.
"We started a conversation with our plan for peace last year. Our budget reflects that directly," Mayor Gainey's press secretary, Maria Montano, said.
The concern comes with how will a curfew work, and who is doing the enforcement.
Newly-elected member Barb Warwick said we need to protect our youth but isn't on board with police just picking up kids who may be out late.
"In general, I think that the data shows curfews are not particularly effective," Warwick said.
Mayor Gainey's office doesn't want police stopping kids and checking ID cards, which they aren't required to have on them.
"We are looking to pursue opportunities that help build more positive engagement between our officers and our youth," Montano added.
President Kail-Smith wants a discussion about how to get resources to children. The curfew may or may not have to be part of the solution.
"Let's think outside the box. How can we make this optional? How do we make it a resource and not punitive?" Kail-Smith said.
Council is expected to continue this discussion at their meeting next week.