Rahm Emanuel Stepping Up Mandatory Curfews In Chicago
“[W]e’re aligning good parenting and the laws of the city to make sure that our children are gonna be safe,” says Chicago Mayor and former Obama administration staffer Rahm Emanuel talking about a new curfew ordinance that will require kids to be inside by 9:00pm.
And while such a curfew might be good parenting, whoever said that good parenting made for good laws? Since when is the government parenting our children?
CHICAGO (STMW) – Parents who let their kids under 12 stay out past 8:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 p.m. on weekends will pay a heavy price beginning Sept. 18, under a City Council crackdown launched Thursday at the urging of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Supt. Garry McCarthy.
“I grew up with a curfew,” Emanuel said earlier this week. “When the lights on the street went on, you took your tail and made it home and in the house. And that’s what I believe is the right policy for the safety and security of our kids.
“It doesn’t mean that, because you have, kids are gonna be safe. But it means that we’re aligning good parenting and the laws of the city to make sure that our children are gonna be safe.”
McCarthy said he gets daily briefings on every shooting in the city. When young people are involved, the first question is about curfew.
“As soon as a 15-year-old is shot at 12 o’clock at night, I turn right to Ernie Brown, who is deputy superintendent of patrol, and I say, `I want to know what the curfew numbers are in this location in this district?’ “ McCarthy said.
Informed that the number of curfew citations issued by Chicago Police have been dropping steadily in recent years, McCarthy said, “I have to get tough on my commanders to make sure that they’re doing curfew so we don’t have young people getting shot late at night.”
Previously the Chicago curfew for kids under 17 was 10:00pm on weeknights and 11:00pm on weekends. Now it’s 8:30pm and 9:00pm, respectively. Which, again, might be good parenting, but since when is that the government’s responsibility?
And while the politicians like Emanuel try to gussy this up as forward-thinking policy for the children, really it’s an indication at just how poorly they’re doing their jobs. They’re basically admitting that the streets of Chicago aren’t safe for children after 8:00 or 9:00pm. Now, law enforcement we can all agree is one of the things government is supposed to do, but in Chicago they’re doing it so poorly they have to venture into the land of parenting-by-ordinance.
Maybe, just maybe, if Chicago weren’t one of the most restrictive cities in America when it came to gun rights and parents were better able to protect themselves and their children there wouldn’t be a need for a curfew.
Tags: chicago, Guns, nanny statism, rahm emanuel
