Kenney on unruly crowds in Philadelphia: "We can't keep kids from gathering"
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A large crowd of juveniles took over parts of Old City and Penn's Landing Monday night.
Police say there were fights and several cars were vandalized.
"She said they locked the doors last night, closed the windows, and just wouldn't let them in," Izzy Heller, the general manager of Big Ass Slices Bar & Grill, said.
Old City businesses closed early Monday night after police say a large group of juveniles stormed through that section of the city. Police say officers dispersed the crowds by 11 p.m., but not before breaking up multiple fights and responding to reports of gunshots on Front Street.
Mayor Jim Kenney applauded the police response but says there's not much more the city can do.
"We can't keep kids from gathering," Kenney said. "It's not constitutional to stop them from gathering."
The city already has a 10 p.m. curfew for unaccompanied minors 14 and older and a 9:30 p.m. curfew for those 13 and younger.
Kenney says it's time for parents to step up.
"I think parents should know where their kids are and should take some responsibility, not just the government and police," Kenney said.
Rickey Duncan, the executive director of the NOMO Foundation, agrees parents need to be more involved.
"I think we've got to do a lot more monitoring of social media websites to see where these things are being planned so we can have proper things in place," Duncan said.
Duncan says more than that – kids need something to do – especially in the summer months when school is out. The NOMO Foundation is one of many groups providing out-of-school activities for kids. But he says these need to be places where kids want to come.
"We also need to create more opportunities where there is more structured activities for these young people so they won't be freelancing and just running the streets of Philadelphia," Duncan said.
In Old City, businesses are bracing for a long summer.
"It sucks. It's bad for business, it's bad for the neighborhood, and I think it's gonna keep happening," Heller said.
Philly police were not available for comment, but in a release said they will continue to monitor the Old City and Penn's Landing area "for the foreseeable future."
It went on to say the public should expect to see an increased police presence in these areas.
