Baltimore Opens City Curfew Center
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore City officials are collaborating to keep teens off the streets and out of trouble this summer.
Jessica Kartalija reports they're announcing the opening of the City's Curfew Center.
The center will stay open through the night and teens will be given something to eat while they wait for their parents. Counselors will be on-hand to talk with families.
Police spent hours trying to control a mob of teenagers at the Inner Harbor. As they worked to disperse the crowd, one teen was stabbed near the intersection of Gay and Fayette Streets.
"I don't think kids should be outside at night. There's no telling what could happen to them," said Kayla Ivy.
Now the city of Baltimore is imposing a curfew, hoping situations like that one don't happen again.
"Children under the age of 17 are not allowed out without an adult after midnight on weekends and after 11 p.m. on weeknights," said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
City schools, law enforcement and juvenile justice departments are all on board.
Teens caught violating the law will come to the Curfew Center on North Avenue.
"Last summer, over 1,000 were brought to the Curfew Center. Seventeen percent were under the age of 13," Rawlings-Blake said.
The center aims to end violence, make parents accountable for their children and provide supervision.
"You guys have to step up in your community and step up for yourself and take advantage of the opportunities the mayor has laid out for you," said Police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld.
Teens we spoke with think the center is a good idea.
"They are not out doing anything they are not supposed to be doing," said one.
"At night, they could be hanging with the wrong crowd and end up in a lot of trouble," said another.
The City Curfew Center is open June 16 through Aug. 27.
