Oklahoma City is considering a 9 p.m. curfew in Bricktown. Here's why.

In what police say is an attempt to curb crime in the popular entertainment district, Oklahoma City is proposing a 9 p.m. curfew for unaccompanied minors in Bricktown.

That's two hours earlier than the current 11 p.m. curfew — and three hours before the citywide midnight curfew for minors — meaning anyone under 18 would need to be with a parent, guardian or other adult if they wanted to be in Bricktown after 9 p.m. any day of the week. The proposal is expected at a Tuesday city council meeting.

While the police department said in a letter to city council that crime involving unaccompanied minors has gone up, the department did not send the data to The Oklahoman in time for publication. When the 11 p.m. curfew was approved in 2006, police reported an uptick in crime numbers involving "unsupervised and uncontrolled juveniles," including 39 instances of assault, 292 instances of public inebriation and 31 instances of driving under the influence between January and July 2006.

Maj. Dan Stewart, who oversees the Oklahoma City Police Department's Bricktown Division, said police were approached by business owners in the district who wanted an earlier curfew.

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"The stakeholders said that they wanted a lower curfew because of the issues that the juveniles, the unaccompanied juveniles, (cause)," Stewart said. "I think it's really important to be clear about that because there is no problem with juveniles coming down there with their parents. In fact, we encourage that."

But parents and minors aren't so sure about the change.

Kaiden Palmer, 15, works part-time in the area. He was surprised by the early curfew proposal and doubted how much of an impact it would have.

“9 p.m.? That’s crazy,” Palmer, 15, said. “Normally, on the weekends, it’s rowdy. They’ll probably still hang out.”

Darriell Thomas recently moved to Oklahoma City. He spent Sunday afternoon in Bricktown with his 13-year-old daughter, Danaysia.

“Are the kids getting into trouble downtown?” he asked when told about the curfew proposal. “If it’s for safety, safety trumps everything. But maybe on the weekends make it 10 p.m.”

Rycki Johnson, 14, agreed 10 p.m. would be a better curfew on weekends. Johnson said she's only been to Bricktown after 9 p.m. with an adult, and has never felt unsafe due to any groups of teens.

Who is behind the 9 p.m. Bricktown curfew proposal?

Justin O'Neal, Bricktown manager for the Downtown OKC Partnership, said Councilwoman Nikki Nice — who represents the district and recently spoke out about feeling unsafe in Bricktown at a January council meeting —approached him and other stakeholders about changing the curfew. Nice did not respond to The Oklahoman's request for comment. The Bricktown Board of Directors approved the request in an 11-6 vote, O'Neal said.

"We don't want to give off a vibe that Bricktown is unsafe," O'Neal said. "It's a very safe district. Unfortunately, the bad things that happen, kind of gain a little more traction."

Stewart said he hopes the proposed curfew could make Bricktown a more family-friendly place.

"The biggest issue, in my opinion, is you have families that come down here to spend time and see what Bricktown has to offer," Stewart said. "Then you have these juveniles that are kind of occupying these areas, and they get into fights. I believe that it causes the families to believe that it's unsafe."

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What happens to minors in Bricktown past curfew?

The 11 p.m. curfew was approved when police noticed an uptick in crime involving minors from 2005 to 2006. The enforcement of the new curfew would work the same, Stewart said.

If a minor is found in Bricktown, either by police or reported to police by a business, they will be asked to leave. Exceptions include any minors who are working in Bricktown, involved in an emergency or leaving from an event at an arena, ballpark or theater. Stewart said there's no problem with this, as long as any unaccompanied minor when approached by police can show their ticket and get out of Bricktown as soon as the event ends.

"Our goal in Bricktown is voluntary compliance," Stewart said. "We want juveniles to leave before the curfew."

Stewart said this system works pretty well, with police only writing 22 citations for violating the curfew in 2022, and none in 2021.

If the unaccompanied minors don't leave, police can give fines up to $500, which could be paid in cash or through community service.

The minors themselves aren't the only ones who could see consequences. Parents, or adults responsible for minors, could be fined if they allow a minor to be in Bricktown past curfew.

Business owners, operators or employees could be fined if they "knowingly permit" a minor to be at their establishment past curfew.

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This Bricktown business has its own curfew for juveniles

Entertainment options in Bricktown include places that often attract teenagers, like Brickopolis and Harkins Theatres.

But Brickopolis general manager Lateria Allen said her establishment stopped allowing unaccompanied minors past 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays last summer.

"There's vandalism, they destroy our games, they graffiti our bathroom," Allen said. "They're hooking up to fight, or make out."

Allen said the change hasn't impacted business at all, but has only reinforced the family-friendly environment Brickopolis is aiming for.

When could the new Bricktown curfew take effect?

The city council will consider the ordinance for the first time Tuesday. If the council approves moving forward, a public hearing where members of the public can speak for or against the change will be held Feb. 28, and the final vote will take place March 14.

The police are currently requesting an emergency approval, which would require seven affirmative votes from the nine-person council and would mean the new curfew takes effect immediately. The curfew change could still be approved with five affirmative votes, and take effect 30 days from its approval.

Jana Hayes covers city government and trending issues for The Oklahoman. Know of a story she should be covering? Have any questions or thoughts about the proposed curfew in Bricktown? Email her at jhayes@oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC's Bricktown curfew could move to 9 p.m. for unaccompanied minors