Pittsburgh City Council president wants to enforce curfew
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pittsburgh City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith says something has to be done to address violence with young people. She is proposing to enforce the city's curfew once again.
Council President Kail-Smith says the time to act is now. She said too many young people are becoming victims of gun violence.
"If we don't give the kids a place to be safe, they're either going to be on the streets, or they're going to be in some type of trouble, or be a victim," Kail-Smith said.
According to the 1995 ordinance, kids under 17 would need to be off the streets at 10 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on weekends. July 1 through Aug. 31, that is extended to 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on weekends.
"We can do nothing and we can still have this risk of kids being shot every single day and then people feel the city didn't do enough or we can have a place where kids can be safe," Kail-Smith told KDKA-TV.
Violators would be taken to a curfew center until they can be united with the parent or guardian.
The goal of the centers wouldn't be to act like jail. They would be designed to provide resources for kids to stay safe and get on the right track if needed.
"I think the conversation has to be, 'What makes the most sense? Where can we get staff? Where will kids actually utilize them?'" Kail-Smith said.
Kail-Smith didn't have the exact locations or who would staff the centers yet. She said between city workers and working with Pittsburgh Public Schools, that could be a start.
"I think there's a lot of people that could be possible people to run the center. We also have our Pittsburgh police to make sure the place stays safe," Kail-Smith said.
How will this be enforced? That is still being figured out. Police could be an option. Kail-Smith said other community organizations could be tapped to help out. She is working with community groups and the mayor's office on what can be done.
"That's all part of the conversation that comes up: What do we do if somebody who absolutely refuses to go and currently is doing something they shouldn't be doing?" the city council president told KDKA.
Neighboring communities have similar policies, Kail-Smith believes there could be collaboration between municipalities to help protect young people, but it has a long way to go.
"This is all preliminary. We're trying to keep the people safe, the kids and the public," Kail-Smith said.
She added this alone won't solve the problem of violence but hopes it can be a start.
It is expected she will introduce this legislation this week during the council meeting.
