Curfew at 9 pm

[arminnie]

How would this affect your teenagers? I know there is a terrible gang problem in New Orleans, but 9 pm sounds pretty early for a summer week night. I just checked - it's for 16 and younger.

I live in a high rise and many parents have their older children take the dog down for a "walk" around 10 pm. I live on St. Charles, but we have a guard so I don't feel threatened when I go walk my dog at night. (just outside the gate).

Curfew critics have said the measure will not prevent the killings officials want to stop, since most murder victims and perpetrators are 17 or older.


[font=arial,sans-serif]Friday, June 23, 2006

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[font=arial,sans-serif]Juvenile curfew begins tonight in New Orleans

A juvenile curfew proposed by city officials to help curtail a crime wave that prompted the return of National Guard troops this week will go into effect tonight, New Orleans Police said Friday.

Capt. John Bryson, a police spokesman, said officers tonight will begin enforcing a curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday.

Capt. Bob Bardy, whose 6th District patrols Central City, said his officers are ready to impose the curfew as part of a crackdown on violence prompted in part by the murder of five youths in Central City Saturday.
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[JLTraveling]

I'm a displaced Quarter resident heading home on the 1st. I don't have kids, so it doesn't affect me personally, but I can't see it lasting very long at least in its current form. What about kids with jobs? And then, of course, you run into a ton of New Orleans-specific problems with that...what if they're Tarot readers, that's a job, but not a "proveable" one...or artists, or musicians...but then again I hear a lot of the gutter punks are playing (or attempting to play) stolen instruments so I don't know where the line would be drawn there. Are the Tap Rats back? They could have been considered some form of gang pre-K...but they're doing something that the city considers honest work. See where I'm going with this? I understand the theory behind the curfew, but like everything else in NOLA, it's not that simple or cut and dried. The next few months will be interesting I think.