By Nick Neville
Published: Jun. 5, 2024 at 9:18 PM EDT
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) ― With an eye toward curbing youth gun violence in the capital city, elected leaders in Columbia are discussing the possibility of a curfew for young people.
This comes just days after Julian Keel, a 16-year-oldrising seniorat W.J. Keenan High School, was senselessly gunned down while leaving a graduation party.
‘They’ll be held accountable’: Columbia Police Chief pleas for witnesses to come forward after fatal shooting of 16-year-old
At Tuesday’s meeting, At-large councilman Tyler Bailey proposed the idea of expanding the city’s current minor curfew beyond the Five Points district.
“I think this is a good place to start the conversation,” Bailey said. “We must act swiftly because the summer is here, and we have to do something. And we’ve seen the gun crime increase just in the last couple of weeks since school being out from that pool party to the graduation aftermath shooting from that party.”
The father of two young boys himself, Bailey said this is one avenue to explore to keep kids safe in the summer months.
Bailey said it could be another tool in the toolbox to curb crime, and lead to an important conversation with parents.
“There’s a huge role for parents, there’s a huge role,” Columbia District 4 councilman Peter Brown said. “I think we’re waiting for something to fix this that’s not going to be fixed until we have a higher level of engagement with the community.”
District 2 Councilman Ed McDowell implored his colleagues at Tuesday’s meeting to take a closer look at ways to put a stop to gun violence.
“When does it stop?” he said. “When will we stop? We keep talking, and we ain’t doing nothing.”
An 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew for children under the age of 17 has been in place in Five Points since 2011, according to the city’s legal department.
Under the current system, violators can first be given verbal warnings and then possibly fined for subsequent infractions.
Statistics from the Columbia Police Department on the number of violations cited in the last two years were not immediately available Wednesday.
However, a Columbia Police spokesperson said when the curfew first went into effect, officers would often call parents to pick up their children.
There was an early emphasis on “educational awareness” about the curfew, according to Columbia Police.
Bailey said any updated city ordinance would have to be narrowly tailored, and include exceptions for things like work, exercising one’s first amendment rights and medical emergencies.
“If it’s too broad or it’s applied in a way that isn’t equitable or it could be looked at as being discriminatory, that’s a problem,” he said. “That’s why I think it’s also really important to have policy surrounding any ordinance like this that it’s actually implemented in a way that goes to the heart of the issue.”
No action would be taken without consultation with community stakeholders and parents in public forums, Bailey said.
He believes that 11 P.M. may be too early, and suggested possibly midnight.
Brittany Adams, a mother of five who lives in Columbia, expressed skepticism about the idea.
“It may possibly help, but I feel like if it relates only to teens, I just think that’s an issue that more relates to in-home parenting rather than keeping them from doing things after a certain time,” she said. “Kids are going to be able to find things to do whether there’s a curfew or not.”
She suggested that Columbia invest more resources into entertainment options for children and other activities to keep them busy.
“I think that it ultimately probably is a good idea just to make sure that our children are safe at home, and that they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing, and ideally cutting down this level of gun violence that just always seems like it’s on the up and up,” Ben Dupree, who lives in the Midlands, said.
Brown said he believes the first priority should be engaging with parents.
He said that there are certain compliance and enforcement issues that would be real impediments to a city-wide curfew.
The proposal, which is in the early stages, has been referred to the city’s public safety committee.
A public hearing on the matter is expected in the next month.
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