Cities Are Addressing National Teen Takeover Trend

In several large metropolitan areas, the so-called “teen takeover” trend is growing rapidly, with officials looking for ways to curtail the gatherings. While some teen takeover events have been unruly, teens are pushing back, saying they are searching for outlets and safe spaces to gather.

Several outlets have taken note of the teen takeover trend, such as Vox and The New York Times, all with the same point of concern that these gatherings have the potential to become violent. That said, the attention on the takeovers and the fact that most of these gatherings consist of young Black teens, which adds a layer of concern that the groups might be unfairly targeted.

In a Vox story from earlier this month, the publication focused on the takeovers happening in Washington, D.C. The piece took note of takeovers occurring in the likes of Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Jacksonville, and a common theme of these gathering crowds is seemingly a response to needed a place to belong.

This is key to note, as many of these teenagers are of the COVID-19 pandemic generation, where virtual homeschooling and nationwide shutdowns kept many hunkered down indoors.

In the New York Times piece, city authorities in Chicago are finding it difficult to address the takeovers, especially as school is nearing its end for the summer break. Washington is also combating brushes of violence, and, in fairness, those violent incidents have increased in number as the months roll on.

“It has gotten worse when it comes to the bad behavior,” Larry Snelling, the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, said in an interview. “Kids just start to fight, so they get increasingly more violent.”

As detailed in the Vox piece on D.C., most teens are using social media to plan these teen takeover events and largely are doing so to connect with like-minded folks.

There isn’t a sense that these events are meant to turn violent, but that unpredictability will certainly continue to raise concerns and drum up the national curfew debate.

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Photo: Getty