Young people in Indy could have a new curfew under city council proposal

The Indianapolis City-County Council is considering a proposal to extend curfew hours for young people.

The proposal, introduced at Monday’s council meeting, would extend the hours when Marion County children and teens are prohibited from being in public spaces without supervision.

It comes after a mass shooting in downtown Indianapolis Saturday left two teenagers dead and five others injured. 

“The youth gun violence we experienced in our city this weekend was tragic, unacceptable – and completely preventable,” Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a statement. “Our city's youth have no business being out unsupervised in the middle of the night.”

Indiana already has a statewide curfew. The proposal would begin the curfew two hours earlier in Marion County. The curfew for youth 15- to 17-years-old would be between 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday to Thursday and between 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Friday to Saturday. Curfew hours for minors 15 and younger would be 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. every weekday.

The motion to introduce the bill was unanimously approved by council members. The proposal now heads to the Public Safety and Criminal Justice committee for deliberation. 

Councilor Leroy Robinson, chair of the committee, said in a statement the group will “discuss ways to hold parents and guardians more accountable for violations of the curfew ordinance,” such as issuing fines and parenting classes for repeat violations.

The public will have a chance to comment on the proposal during a committee meeting on July 16. 

Councilors also gave the final approval for a spring fiscal ordinance that allocates $27 million to various city departments and agencies for roads, snow removal, urban forests and home repairs.

Contact WFYI Morning Edition newscaster and reporter Abriana Herron at aherron@wfyi.org.