Chicago's potential 'teen takeover' solutions cost taxpayers

Largely characterized by dozens or hundreds of teens gathering in one location, reports of “teen takeovers” have been increasingly reported in recent years. 

Last week, Republican congressional candidate Christian Maxwell told The Center Square about being caught in one an event.

Local lawmakers want to address the public safety threat, seen when Chicago police recovers guns and other weapons when handling the crowds.

Many proposed solutions hinge on keeping youth occupied, such as a seasonal jobs program and city-sponsored events, but come at a cost to taxpayers. Some aldermen are looking for lower-cost ways, such as curfews.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday that the city has taken steps to keep teens occupied while school is out of session, but it needs more investment.

“Right now, more than 25,000 young people have started summer jobs through the Chicago Youth Works program. When we invest in our youth, we invest in safer communities, stronger neighborhoods, and a brighter future for Chicago,” Johnson said.

In the city’s current year budget, youth employment was allocated $49 million, with participants between the ages of 14-24 being given a roughly $2,000 stipend for summer work.

Some aldermen, such as Jessica Fuentes, think addressing large teen gatherings should be considered heavily while crafting the city’s budget for the coming year.

“I want to challenge us to not think about legislation as something we should be utilizing to punish people, but to think about legislation as an opportunity to give communities more resources,” Fuentes said. “We should start thinking about the budget, and it’s no secret we’re going to face an immense challenge this budget cycle.”

Alderman Pat Dowell said while she supports efforts by the committee, she and her peers need to also consider how to handle the more violent side of the takeovers.

“The teen gathering that happened at 57th Street. How many guns did the police recover there? 53,” Dowell said. “We don't talk about the problems that our good kids might be covering for some of the bad kids that are integrating into those events and creating some havoc.”

Teens at Wednesday's hearing– along with adult experts and the aldermen – said the gatherings are a result of a failure by adults, rather than teens.

“My mom, she's older and she was talking to me about the teen takeovers and she was telling me about her concerns too, and it sounded exactly like what [Dowell] had said,” said Ramaya Simone, a youth leader with the organization Communities United.

Simone contended the recovery of guns by CPD at recent gatherings isn’t unusual when considering broader trends of gun violence in the city.

“We are young people. We have to think about our adults. We can't legally go into a store and purchase a gun. There are young people who are buying guns from adults,” Simone said. “How can we better make our adults role models? Because we are a reflection of our city.”

Alderman Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez said she rejects the idea that there are any “bad kids,” rather some youth in the city that are armed need more support, tying in her own past experience as a student in the city having known peers who carried weapons.

“They were armed because they were scared, because they had to go through neighborhoods where they didn't feel safe. Branding kids as ‘bad’ because of what they are doing to be able to survive a world that does not show them love or care, I think is misguided,” Rodriguez-Sanchez said.

Members of the committee said they will continue to work on efforts to address the matter and gain more understanding on how to fairly bring an end to the gatherings.