The Chicago City Council is expected to vote on a revised curfew ordinance during Wednesday’s council meeting. The “time and site” ordinance, if approved by a majority of alders, would allow Chicago police to declare temporary, four-hour curfews with 12 hours’ notice anywhere in the city.
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) is the lead sponsor of the ordinance, which was passed 10-4 by members of the council’s public safety committee on Jan. 7. Two separate shootings in the Loop in late 2025 revived Hopkins’s push to revisit the teen curfew debate. In late November, after the Christmas tree lighting ceremony, nine teens were shot and injured, and one teen, Armani Floyd, 14, died.
“I am pleased to see this common-sense ordinance another step closer to passage, and will provide further updates in future newsletters,” Hopkins wrote in a Jan. 12 newsletter.
This ordinance and previous versions are being described as a proactive measure to curb teen “trends” or “mass gatherings.” Trends are a popular teen-led social media linkup. Someone creates and posts flyers on platforms like Snapchat or Instagram, detailing when and where the next big meetup will be, and dozens of teens show up to have a good time.
Last spring, Hopkins was unsuccessful in his push for the passage of a “snap curfew,” which, if approved, would have given the Chicago Police superintendent sole authority to enact a “snap curfew” with a 30-minute notice. City Council voted in favor of Hopkins’ ordinance last June. But Mayor Brandon Johnson vetoed Hopkins’ ordinance, and in July 2025, the Chicago City Council failed to obtain the votes needed to override Johnson’s veto.
Johnson’s veto marked the first time a mayor has used the executive power tool since 2006; back then, Mayor Richard M. Daley vetoed a City Council plan to require “big box” stores to pay employees a livable wage.
Since Hopkins first presented a revised youth curfew ordinance in April 2025, a diverse group of community-based organizations opposed the “snap curfew” ordinance. Those groups, along with legal advocates, questioned the potential for First Amendment violations. Some Black teens also previously expressed that the ordinance could give police another reason to racially profile them.
Tomorrow’s City Council meeting, which is the first meeting of 2026, will begin at 10:00 a.m. The meeting can be viewed here.
