D.C. committee hears divided views on reauthorizing juvenile curfew zones

The Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety met Oct. 30 to evaluate whether to reauthorize the emergency Juvenile Curfew Amendment Act of 2025, an executive request that allowed the mayor and chief of police to designate short-term curfew zones, extend citywide curfew hours to 11 p.m. and include 17-year-olds.

"The purpose of this public roundtable on the extended juvenile curfew and designated juvenile curfew zones in the District of Columbia is to evaluate the success of the implementation of B26-286," Chair Brooke Pinto said as she opened the hearing. The committee heard testimony from Chief Pamela Smith and Deputy Mayor Lindsay Appiah as well as dozens of public witnesses, including ANC commissioners, business representatives, community groups and young people.

Chief Smith described how MPD established seven juvenile curfew zones during July and August and said officers used posters, palm cards and outreach to educate youth. "When the curfew zones were in place, the MPD did not cite any youth for curfew violations in the zones during the active hours of 8PM to 11PM, nor were there any large gatherings," she told the committee. Deputy Mayor Appiah said the administration saw the zones as one tool in a broader prevention portfolio and urged the council to preserve it while continuing to build alternative programming.

But youth witnesses, educators and some advocacy groups urged the council not to reauthorize an expanded enforcement tool without concurrent investments in youth services. "Extending a curfew doesn't solve the problem. It hides it," a Black Swan Academy youth leader testified, calling instead for late-night recreation centers, transportation and year-round programming.

Several ANC commissioners and business owners told the committee they had seen a noticeable drop in late-night disruption in neighborhoods where curfew zones were used and urged reauthorization for a limited time. Others warned reauthorizing the measure permanently would risk increasing police contact with Black and brown youth unless strict safeguards and community partnerships are required.

The committee recessed at 3:35 p.m. to reconvene at 4 p.m. for youth testimony and closed the record for additional written testimony on Nov. 13. No vote was taken at the hearing; council members pressed for clearer data, guaranteed notice and stronger community-based alternatives if the tools were extended.