By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
On April 25, during a public safety press conference held at National Harbor, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks shared the news of an executive order that bans unaccompanied minors from National Harbor on weekends.
The juvenile curfew took effect at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 26 and requires those 16 and younger without supervision to be off the property between 5 p.m. and 6 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
“The safety and well-being of our residents, visitors and businesses at National Harbor are of the utmost importance,” Alsobrooks said during the press conference. “The implementation of a juvenile curfew is a necessary step to address the recent incidents of unruly behavior and ensure public safety. We are committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to preserve the vibrancy and security of National Harbor.”
Alsobrooks was joined by Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz, County Chair Jolene Ivey (District 5), state Senator C. Anthony Muse (District 26) and County Public Schools Superintendent Millard House II.
Ivey thanked the County Executive for initiating the emergency measure.
“We want to make sure we’re in partnership with the business community, with law enforcement and the residents of our county, who have all been strong supporters of these measures,” Ivey said during the press conference.
In an interview with the AFRO, she said what the county is now facing is a regional problem.
“What happens if these youth shift their focus and gather somewhere else?” quipped Ivey. “This is more than just a Prince George’s County problem. Kids are coming from everywhere. We don’t know where the next ‘cool place’ will be. As community leaders and elected officials, we need to be alert and prepared to stop this kind of behavior before it gets out of hand.
“We’re seeing hundreds of children running loose and acting irresponsibly,” Ivey continued. “In most cases, it’s typical teenager stuff – it’s no different from when we were their age. But the stakes are much higher now. Leaders have to be ready to deal with whatever situations arise.”
The curfew comes after months of engagement and collaboration with the Peterson Companies, National Harbor’s management company, and by Prince George’s administrators and police in efforts to better understand and respond to public safety concerns at the harbor.
The move also comes after around 800 youth, mostly teenagers– but some as young as eight years old– converged at National Harbor on April 20, many of whom were unaccompanied by adults. While some may have been there to mix, mingle and enjoy the waterfront, a contingency of youth had other things on their minds as they engaged in fights, smoked marijuana and committed a series of crimes including shoplifting.
Now an enhanced safety plan is being developed by the Prince George’s County Police Department and will include enhanced collaboration with local businesses, residents and will employ community engagement officers to inform and educate the juvenile visitors.
“It doesn’t take a lot of people to start a ruckus and these youth are communicating with one another through direct messaging and other means – ways in which they know what’s being planned before we do,” Aziz said during the press conference.
“We have increased the number of personnel at National Harbor with the support of a lot of others to form a united partnership for the betterment of National Harbor that includes more than just police officers,” Aziz continued. “We’re there for the safety of youth, visitors and National Harbor businesses. But we are not there to babysit.”
Recent juvenile curfews have proven successful
Alsobrooks noted that her administration has implemented successful juvenile curfews in the past, enacting one during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and again in 2022. The 2022 curfew coincided with a substantial improvement in crime numbers with homicides declining by 71 percent during the curfew.
“A juvenile curfew has always been in place,” Alsobrooks said during the press conference. “It’s been on the books since around 1991 and is one of the tools in our toolbox. The chief decided we needed it– as did I– when we saw a spike in carjackings involving underage youth occurring between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. We’re going to take very aggressive action to protect the lives of youth and adults in Prince George’s County.”
Both Aziz and Alsobrooks agreed that when the curfew was enforced several years ago, the results were positive with most of the community agreeing with the decision.
“Last weekend we had one youth smoking marijuana right in front of an officer – that youth was arrested,” Aziz said. “There’s also a trend to carry fake weapons and some kids had those with them. We issued citations after a fight broke out. Look, this is not television. When the police have to detain you, we have you. That’s why we joined with National Harbor personnel last Saturday (April 20) and closed things down.
“Sure, there are studies across the nation that say curfews work – there are other studies that say they do not,” said Aziz. “What I know is when the county executive implemented the last curfew under my watch, it worked. It succeeded because we had cooperation and compliance with the community and with parents. It may not work in other places but it works here in Prince George’s County.”
Learn more about the National Harbor Juvenile Curfew at mypgc.us/NationalHarborCurfew.