Chicago youth advocates are calling on city leaders to shift away from punitive measures and toward supportive initiatives that address the root causes of violence and unrest among teenagers on the city’s South and West sides. Their plea comes amid ongoing debates over curfew policies and police authority related to youth gatherings this summer.

Reynia Jackson, a youth organizer with GoodKids MadCity, an organization focused on communities affected by gun violence, emphasized the need for restorative justice and peacekeeping approaches as alternatives to criminalization. The group, which teaches conflict resolution skills to young people to prevent violence, points to a reported decline in Memorial Day weekend violence to its lowest level since 2010 as evidence that such methods can be effective.

Despite this, Jackson criticized certain proposals from city officials that she says prioritize punishment over support. Last year, Alderman Brian Hopkins of the 2nd Ward introduced a “snap curfew” ordinance that would have allowed authorities to impose curfews on youth with as little as 30 minutes' notice, but the measure failed to pass. Hopkins has since proposed a new measure that would grant police the authority to issue “declarations of disruptive youth gatherings,” which supporters contend could help prevent disorder but critics argue may grant excessive discretion to law enforcement and unfairly target young people.

Jackson called on the city’s leadership to reconsider these approaches, urging a focus on engagement programs and increased resources for recreation and employment opportunities instead. She highlighted a 2019 event hosted by GoodKids MadCity at 31st Street Beach, where more than 1,000 teenagers gathered peacefully without incidents of violence, challenging perceptions that youth gatherings inherently lead to trouble.

The organizer acknowledged the urgency of addressing gun violence but maintained that measures such as curfews and parental accountability laws fail to confront the underlying social and economic conditions affecting Chicago’s youth. Jackson encouraged city officials to engage directly with young people to better understand and respond to their needs, advocating for policies that promote care and community investment rather than exclusion and punishment.