Teen takeovers spreading across Charlotte. City Council will try to tackle them
Charlotte will tackle the rising “teen takeover” issue during a special City Council meeting on Tuesday.
Read more Charlotte’s 30 best nachos spots need your vote — plus free oysters
Large groups of teens in major cities across the U.S. have been gathering in public spaces with disruptive and occasionally destructive behaviors. Council members will return early from their July recess to consider what policy changes might help quell the public safety issue in Charlotte.
The meeting will be held in room CH-14 in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center from 11 a.m. to noon.
“The arrival of summer and ending of the school year has been met with an increased presence of unsupervised minors in Uptown,” the city said in a news release announcing the special safety committee meeting. “Uptown, specifically the area near Romare Bearden Park, has experienced significant weekend juvenile criminal activities including affrays, shootings and curfew violations.”
Teen takeovers increase the risk of violent crime and quality of life concerns, according to the news release. The unorganized meetups are not associated with a particular venue or group.
Charlotte already has a curfew on the books under the Charlotte Youth Protection Ordinance. Minors between 13 and 15 years old are not allowed in public between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. without a parent or guardian. Curfew starts at 10 p.m. for kids under 13.
Juveniles who violate curfew could be found delinquent by a judge and face penalties. Parents, business owners or other people 16 years or older who allow minors to break curfew are also on the hook for a violation and could face misdemeanor charges.
Read more ‘Explosive’ parasitic infection cases continue rising in NC, across the US
That hasn’t prevented the unlawful gatherings.
One incident in June involved hundreds of teens convening after dark at Romare Bearden Park, where police arrested 23 teenagers and one adult and issued citations to 13 parents.
Some private entities have gone a step further with their own curfews. Camp North End in April implemented a 6 p.m. curfew for unaccompanied minors at its stores and outdoor spaces after what management said were “several unauthorized teen takeovers.” That curfew applies to anyone under 18.
Birkdale Village in Huntersville also set a 6 p.m. curfew in February after a rowdy group of teens blocked traffic in another takeover event. Concord Mills has had a teen curfew on Friday and Saturday afternoons since 2021.
Experts previously told The Charlotte Observer that part of the problem is a lack of “third spaces,” or places for youth to socialize outside of work, school or home.
Mecklenburg County announced a new summer series on Friday nights to help address the issue. Teen Summer James takes place from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. every Friday in July at the Eastway Regional Recreation Center and will feature music and basketball games. The space-limited events are open to anyone between 13 and 18 years old and require registration. The July 17 event is already full.
Read more Duke Energy, state officials reach settlement in NC electric rate hike case
Diamy Wang contributed reporting to this story.
