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1st Early-Curfew Violators Picked Up
Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) set the 10 p.m. curfew in hopes of curbing an increase in robberies and weapons offenses committed by juveniles. He had the support of the D.C. Council, which gave him the leeway to adjust the curfew hours as part of an emergency crime bill passed last month. The curfew covers all youths 16 and younger who are in the city, regardless of whether they live in the District.
"Young people in the community have been involved in way too much violence," said Sgt. Leo Hitt, who was on patrol last night in Southeast. But he said it "remains to be seen if [the curfew] will be as effective as we hope it will be."
  D.C. Council member Marion Barry, right, and Mayor Anthony A. Williams visit with Kevon Matthews, 11, a resident of Barry Farm in Southeast. (By Michel Du Cille -- The Washington Post) 
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The city has had a curfew since 1999, but lately, police have been enforcing it much more rigorously. The pace accelerated after Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey declared a crime emergency July 11. From July 12 through yesterday morning, police took in 764 curfew violators. In the same stretch last year, they caught 279.
Police typically take the youths to one of two curfew centers, where they contact parents or guardians to pick them up. If police get no response by 6 a.m., the youths are taken to the city's Child and Family Services Agency.
The curfew law has several exceptions. Youths can be out after hours if they are with a parent or guardian or doing errands at a parent or guardian's direction. They also can be at work or attending an official school, religious or recreational activity. And they can be on the sidewalk of their residence or that of a next-door neighbor -- as long as the neighbor isn't complaining to police. Other exceptions are spelled out on the police department's Web site, http:/
Within the community, there is some division about the earlier curfew, as the mayor found yesterday. Williams and D.C. Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) knocked on doors in the Barry Farm neighborhood of Southeast, encouraging youths to use community programs, find jobs and stay out of trouble.
Barry called for "a balanced approach" to stopping crime, "not just locking people up." Williams said the curfew is "about keeping kids safe."
Several hours after Williams and Barry left, youths gathered at Barry Farm for a nighttime basketball tournament, and some complained about having to get home early.
"I think it should be 11. Ten is too early," said Dominique Johnson, 14, of Suitland, who was visiting in the neighborhood.
"I don't like it. It ruins all the fun," agreed Dominic Martin, 15, a Barry Farm resident.
Members of the D.C. Alliance of Youth Advocates, a coalition of more than 50 groups, criticized the curfew at a news conference last night. Eshauna Smith, the alliance's executive director, called the legislation "an attack on young people in the city."
"This tells young people they're the problem, not part of the solution," Smith said.
The youth advocates said the city should focus resources on job training and education programs.
Arthur Spitzer, legal director of the Washington office of the American Civil Liberties Union, expressed concern that the curfew would be selectively enforced. He encouraged teenagers who have negative experiences to contact his office.
At Gallery Place last night, some youths from Virginia who came to the District for entertainment gave differing views of the curfew.
"It will probably make the place a little safer," said Jamie Breitner, 16, of Falls Church.
"No," chipped in Allie Geller, 15, of Fairfax. "The weird people will still be hanging out past 10 o'clock."
Staff writers Allan Lengel, Robert Samuels and Martin Weil contributed to this report.
