INDIANAPOLIS — Some members of the City-County Council are against a proposal that would penalize the parents of kids who violate the city’s curfew.
But some residents feel those consequences are necessary.
“I gotta be safe. I gotta look over my shoulder, kinda, you know," content creator Rio Mike said.
The 18-year-old was downtown Thursday filming TikToks with a couple of friends.
Mike says when the sun goes down, it’s time to get off the streets.
“Honestly, I don’t come downtown past like 10, 12 o’clock,” Mike's friend Adam Sam said.
Gun violence in downtown Indy has been on the minds of many this summer, after a mass shooting over the Fourth of July weekend claimed the lives of two teens.
Earlier this month, the City-County Council approved a new 120-day curfew for youth in Indianapolis.
The curfew makes guidelines more strict for when teens under the age of 17 can be outside unsupervised.
But some feel the council needs to put stronger measures in place to deter crime.
“I feel like parents should watch their children. And the fine is gonna help them enforce that," Sam said.
Under Proposal 245, parents of curfew violators would receive tiered consequences:
a. Receive a written notice for a child’s first offense.
b. Be subject to a fine of $500 for a second offense.
c. Be subject to a fine of $1500 for a third or subsequent offense.
The Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee voted down the proposal at a meeting on Wednesday.
Fraternal Order of Police President Rick Snyder says council members sent the wrong message with their decision.
“If you have juveniles armed with guns and committing crimes that are resulting in the death or critical injury of other people, where are the parents? And consistently, what you hear is, 'How are you holding the parents accountable?' What the council just said last night is we’re not going to do that," Snyder said.
Snyder says harsher punishments are needed to prevent further death and violence.
He’s calling on the court systems and the prosecutor’s office to do more when it comes to punishing young people, especially repeat violent offenders.
“Enforcing the curfew is not a proper response in relation to juveniles shooting and murdering other juveniles. Instead of doing this window dressing kind of approach that really is a paper tiger policy that does nothing to address the issue of violence, why don’t you speak out on the revolving door of criminal justice in Marion County?" he said.
The proposal received a do not pass recommendation.
It now goes to the full council for a vote on September 8.
