After a violent holiday weekend that included a mass shooting downtown in which two teenagers died, the Indianapolis City-County Council is pushing to impose an earlier youth curfew at the urging of the police chief and the mayor.
A new proposal introduced at a July 7 council meeting would begin the curfew for all minors in Marion County two hours earlier. The council will also consider measures to hold parents and guardians accountable for their children’s actions, including fines and parenting classes for repeat violations.
Proposal No. 232 would make it unlawful for minors to be unsupervised in a public place in Marion County during the following hours:
The push to restrict the curfew follows a mass shooting involving juveniles gathered near Washington and Illinois Streets in the early hours of July 5, after thousands of people gathered downtown for the annual Fourth of July fireworks show.
Two teenagers — Azareaon S. Cole, 15, and Xavion Jackson, 16 — were killed and five other people were injured. Police have charged four teens in connection with the shootings.
While the current proposal would only extend the curfew, councilors said they aim to add civil penalties including fines and parenting classes for the parents and guardians of repeat offenders in a July 16 Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee meeting.
The amended bill will return to the full council for a vote in a future meeting.
Michael-Paul Hart, who leads the 25-member council’s six Republicans, said that without penalties for parents, the resolution seems unlikely to improve safety among teens.
“We’ve got a parental problem, sure,” Hart said, “but just changing the hours isn’t going to change the behavior.”
In the meantime, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department will redouble its efforts to enforce the existing curfew. Mayor Joe Hogsett said the city will back IMPD’s efforts to boost enforcement and save lives.
“The youth gun violence we experienced in our city this weekend was tragic, unacceptable — and completely preventable,” Hogsett said in a written statement. “Our city’s youth have no business being out unsupervised in the middle of the night.”
Meanwhile, the Indianapolis FOP criticized council for failing to take actions such as expanding juvenile detention beds, “calling on the Marion County Prosecutor to do his job” and ending the court system’s “revolving door.”
“Tonight’s proposal in its current form appears to be little more than window dressing on a sinking ship,” the FOP said in a news release after the July 7 council action. “We are concerned this sudden hard stance (on curfew only) may be too little, too late from Indy’s politicians in charge.”
Earlier Monday, Gov. Mike Braun also weighed in on the weekend violence in downtown Indianapolis. IMPD is “doing tremendous work in an increasingly difficult environment,” the governor said in a statement, with the state police providing critical support.
“Indiana State Police will continue devoting additional resources to keep our state capital safe as long as is needed,” Braun said. “However, the Indianapolis Mayor and Prosecutor must do their part to protect the city and that means taking swift action to address this criminal activity and the bad actors who perpetuate it.”
Under state law, which the city currently follows, it’s illegal for teenagers ages 15-17 to be out alone in public after 1 a.m. on Saturday or Sunday and after 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday — unless they are going to or returning from work, an extracurricular activity, or a religious event, among other exceptions. Children younger than 15 can stay out in public places no later than 11 p.m. every day.
Email IndyStar Reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy council proposes an earlier curfew after shootings. FOP says it isn’t enough
Reporting by Jordan Smith, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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