Emergency teen curfew bill advances after National Harbor brawl
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (DC News Now) — Prince George’s County is one step closer to having a stricter curfew for young people at the National Harbor.
It comes after a weekend brawl involved dozens of teens which resulted in the the council passing an emergency bill on Tuesday out of committee.
The bill was introduced last week to allow for a stricter curfew, but on Tuesday, it was changed to an emergency bill after the massive Saturday night brawl.
The goal was to enact the law more quickly which will hold parents accountable.
National Harbor has a constant police presence and a lot of foot traffic. But after dark on the weekends, sometimes hundreds of teens show up.
“Engaged in full brawls, drinking, smoking and fighting and it’s unacceptable,” said councilmember Edward Burroughs.
That’s why Burroughs authored a bill allowing commercial property owners to ask for zones with a more restrictive curfew for young people.
“I think that should be great. There has to be some type of restrictions in order to keep people where we need them,” said Brittney Hunter.
Neighbors seem to largely support the move but some say it’s only one piece of the puzzle.
“I do believe in having a curfew. However, I don’t believe in only having a curfew,” said Angela Wilmore. “I believe we should have a blended policy. I believe we should have a plan and not just police. I believe that the police presence is needed, but not just the police.”
The other major component of the bill is holding parents accountable.
“They use this as a drop off to drop off their kids and then they leave and no one’s supervising them,” Hunter said.
After a first-time warning, parents would be fined $50 for the first offense, $100 for the second offense and $250 for the third offense.
“We have parents who are renting out hotel suites here thinking that maybe four or five kids from the neighborhood will come here and have fun, and we find out that there are 50 kids in the room,” Burroughs said. “We’re going to protect our residents and we’re going to put an end to the madness.”
The bill still has to go through a full council vote which could come as early as next week.
Boroughs said he has assurances from the police chief the curfew will be enforced.
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