In the wake of fighting among teens around the St. Catharine of Siena FunFest, shutting the event down early on its second of three planned days, Columbus City Hall leaders say they’re committed to addressing youth safety this summer – including enforcing a curfew.
Hundreds of high school and middle school-aged kids were attending a street takeover June 5 at or around the festival at the church, located on Columbus’ border with Bexley, when some kids began fighting around 7 p.m. Chaos ensued, resulting in 11 arrests, closing the festival early on June 5 and leading to the decision to cancel the third and final day of the festival on June 6 altogether.
The viral events come about a week before Columbus City Council and Columbus City Schools are set to hold their first joint committee hearing on June 15.
“Council has been talking about how we keep our young people safe and our communities safe well before the unfortunate and unacceptable events that happened this weekend,” Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin told media on June 8. “If safety is our top priority, then safety of our young people is the zenith.”
Hardin said the council plans to vote on legislation before the end of June that would move the city’s curfew for youths earlier to 10 p.m. and hold parents accountable for a child’s repeated curfew violations. The city’s current curfew for youths under 18 is midnight and hasn’t historically been enforced.
“We will be enforcing a curfew this year,” Hardin said.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther told media earlier on June 8 that the city will continue to invest in its summer safety initiatives like Safe Streets and Operation Moonlight, which increases police presence at city parks, pools, and community events.
“But this is a place that I need the parents in this community stepping up and putting curfews in place and knowing where their children are, who they’re hanging out with and making sure they don’t have access to weapons to harm themselves and others,” Ginther said.
Columbus’ NAACP chapter is wading into the issue after this weekend and convening a youth task force. Most of the children seen in videos of the event are Black.
NAACP Columbus President Sean Walton Jr. said in a released statement that the overwhelming majority of youth did nothing wrong and the NAACP will not allow the situation to be weaponized against them.
“The question is not whether our youth will gather,” Walton said. “They will. The question is whether we have the courage to build the infrastructure to transform their energy into power. They lack a place to be. They lack a place to belong. We have to bridge those gaps, plain and simple.”
Brian Steel, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9, the union representing Columbus police officers and other central Ohio law enforcement, called what happened this weekend a riot.
“Blaming youth violence in the city, particularly violence that disproportionately impacts Black juveniles as simply a result of a lack of recreational activities, city funding for youth programs or similar explanations is an oversimplification of a much deeper problem,” Steel said.
He said the solution is holding delinquent juveniles accountable while also making investments to address underlying social conditions that contribute to violence.
Church cancels rest of festival, its main annual fundraiser
Father Bon Penhallurick, pastor at St. Catharine of Siena Church, announced on Facebook after the fighting had closed FunFesst on Friday, June 5, that it was with “great disappointment” the church was canceling the third and final day of the festival, Saturday, June 6.
“The safety and well-being of our parishioners and surrounding community must always remain our highest priority,” Father Bob wrote.
“We extend our sincere gratitude to the countless volunteers who dedicated so much time, energy, and hard work to make FunFest possible. We know how much effort goes into planning and operating this beloved parish tradition, and we share in the disappointment of this decision,” Father Bob wrote.
“We also apologize for any inconvenience or disturbance this situation may have caused our neighbors and the surrounding community,” he added.
On Saturday, Father Bob wrote on the church’s Facebook page: “While we are heartbroken to have canceled FunFest, we are deeply grateful for the incredible outpouring of support, prayers, and encouragement from our parish family and community. Most importantly, we thank God that no one was seriously injured.
“As FunFest is our largest annual fundraiser, this cancellation represents a significant loss of operating revenue that supports the mission and ministries of St. Catharine,” he wrote.
Many people had reached out to ask how they could support the church, Father Bob said. He said there are two ways: The festival’s 50/50 Raffle has been extended through 8 p.m. on June 13, with information available at https://stcatharine.com/5050. Online giving that helps support St. Catharine’s mission year-round made be made through https://stcatharine.com/give.
Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus leaders discuss youth safety, curfew change after festival brawl
Reporting by Jordan Laird, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jordan Laird, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
