Fayetteville council adopts juvenile curfew ordinance after lengthy debate; enforcement details to follow

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — The Fayetteville City Council voted 6–4 Tuesday to adopt a Youth Protection Safety Ordinance that establishes a curfew for juveniles 16 years of age and younger from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Councilmember Derek Thompson moved adoption; the measure was seconded and passed after several hours of public discussion and council debate. Councilmembers who recorded their opposition at the vote were recorded as McNair, Green, Hondros and Benavente.

City Attorney Erin Sweeney and Fayetteville Police Department leadership described the ordinance’s text and the exceptions the city will recognize, and said a task force of city staff and community partners will develop enforcement procedures and training before the curfew is enforced. Sweeney summarized the new ordinance’s scope during the council meeting, saying it defines “direct route,” “guardian” and other terms used to identify allowable exceptions, and that the text includes allowances for parental accompaniment, employment, school and religious activities and exercising First Amendment rights.

Sweeney briefed the council on the ordinance’s enforcement structure: an officer who contacts a juvenile must first determine whether a legal exception…