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Curfews, drones, and criminal charges: Cities differ on approaches to 鈥榯een takeovers鈥�

In Raleigh, North Carolina, local officials are . In St. Augustine Beach, Florida, police say helped them stop a planned youth gathering before it began. And in Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has whose children repeatedly participate in disorderly crowds.

Communities across the country are trying to figure out how to respond to what have been dubbed 鈥渢een takeovers,鈥� reports. A somewhat imprecise term, it has generally been used (often by organizers themselves) to describe cues to gather quickly in public spaces like commercial districts, malls, parks or beaches.

Crowds at reported events have ranged from a few dozen to . While they are generally promoted as social gatherings, some have devolved into disorder, fights, robberies, property damage and, less frequently, shootings. Private security guards, local businesses, and police by some of these gatherings.

Explanations for their apparent popularity vary. Some researchers have pointed out that the young people participating are the same ones who . 鈥淭hey just want to be out in public, outside, socializing 鈥� not online," Lily Robin, a senior researcher at the Urban Institute, told The Washington Post. Others point to the dwindling supply and rising costs of so-called , like bowling alleys and skating rinks.

There are also competing theories about why these events have sometimes led to destruction and disorder. Some argue that pushing the boundaries of the risky behaviors teenagers are willing to engage in. Others point to the , where people in group settings feel a sense of anonymity and 鈥渕orph into this big giant identity where I can do anything and nobody can identify me,鈥� adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Khalid Afzal told the Chicago Tribune.

Race and class also loom heavily over the media and civic response to 鈥渢een takeovers,鈥� many of which . 鈥淏ecause it鈥檚 Black youth gathering, because it鈥檚 Brown youth gathering, we see it as being a threat,鈥� sociologist Almethia Franklin told The Washington Post.

Georgetown law professor Kristin Henning told NPR that these takeovers often feature of town 鈥渢aking over, if you will, or visiting鈥� nearby public areas that have been gentrified or commercialized, where they may feel unwelcome. 鈥淭hat contrast , one that illuminates the extreme economic disparities of our era,鈥� wrote Robert F. Worth for The Atlantic.

More conservative critics argue that the gatherings reflect and personal responsibility, compounded by juvenile justice .

Across these competing explanations, one point of broad agreement is that of these youth gatherings. Anonymous organizers can reach hundreds of thousands of people with a single post, and withhold the planned location to stay ahead of authorities, dropping a GPS 鈥減in鈥� at the last moment.

Many cities are turning to familiar tools to attempt to rein in the gatherings. In Newport Beach, California, police over the July 4th weekend after reports of young people blocking roadways and directing fireworks and projectiles at crowds. Authorities cited 鈥渢een takeovers鈥� as factors in mass arrest incidents at Memorial Day gatherings in ; ; and this spring. Some of the arrests in all three incidents involved deadly weapons and violent crimes, but most were for more minor offenses.

In Naperville, Illinois, police Chief Jason Arres was in June: 鈥淚f you break the law, there will be no warnings; there will be no second chances.鈥�

Juvenile curfews have also been a popular approach, and Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, were . In Washington, D.C., a curfew took effect earlier in July. It bans youth under 18 from being out between midnight and 6 a.m., and allows the police chief to establish 鈥渢arget zones鈥� where the , for groups of nine or more young people.

Research has in curbing violent crime, and they can lead to unnecessary interactions between police and young people who are not otherwise committing any crimes.

Another approach that has gained some traction is threatening charges against parents over their child鈥檚 involvement in disorderly behavior, which has been , as well as and Chicago, in June.

An a think tank that promotes free-market and conservative policies, noted that these kinds of prosecution schemes are rarely used in practice, and that 鈥渃hild welfare advocates contend that destabilizing families who are already struggling ultimately aggravates delinquency rather than preventing it.鈥�

Other agencies are trying technology-based approaches. On Cape Cod, in Massachusetts, with thermal imaging to monitor beach crowds and intervene before they grow. In St. Augustine Beach, Florida, authorities monitoring social media with the county鈥檚 said they spotted the flier for a planned 鈥渢akeover鈥� and before tracking down the person who posted it and issuing a cease and desist order. The department also deployed extra officers to the advertised location ahead of the scheduled time.

Bronx, New York District Attorney Darcel Clark sent a letter to major social media platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and YouTube this spring, requesting that they " that encourages riots and other unsafe mass gatherings." Clark later said a was 鈥渋nsightful and productive,鈥� but it鈥檚 unclear whether any platforms have made concrete efforts to limit gatherings.

Many jurisdictions are also trying to prevent the gatherings with alternative programming alongside, or instead of, law enforcement responses. Tampa has paired enforcement with . City leaders in Detroit funded a teen 鈥渒ickback鈥� with food trucks and entertainment, . In Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson across the city, and organizers of a 鈥減eace takeover鈥� featuring Chance the Rapper drew impressive crowds in June.

鈥� within themselves, trying to coexist with each other,鈥� Da鈥橫on Dantzler, 20, told Block Club Chicago of the event. 鈥淚t鈥檚 peaceful and organized instead of being reckless.鈥�

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