>> So-called team takeovers are popular trend among some young people.

The latest instance happened over the weekend when a crowd of hundreds of teens congregated in Streeterville when teen was shot while another was stabbed in multiple police officers were injured.

The scene reignited the curfew conversation with calls to change the current curfew from 10:00PM to 08:00PM.

Joining us to discuss more our second Ward Alderman Byron Hopkins who represents areas like Streeterville in River north in 20th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez who represents areas like Pilsen in Little Village.

Thank you both for joining Kuz aldermen Hopkins.

I want to start with you.

You like to see the current curfew change.

Why do you think that will help curb the issues of what we're calling teen takeovers?

Well, because the 10:00PM curfew is actually an effective tool.

I was out there last week and I personally witness police officers enforcing the 10:00PM curfew shortly after the 10 o'clock hour past.

>> It had a chilling effect on some of the chaos and mayhem that was happening.

The teen saw the police moving in and they dispersed.

So that's what we need to do.

We need to do 2 hours earlier because so far the 2 mass teen take or events that have happened in the month of March.

Both involved gunfire.

Both of the shots fired incidents happened shortly after 08:00PM.

So we need to use this tool a little bit sooner to prevent people from being shot.

Another man, teacher Lopez.

What is your take on this?

>> Look, I think thing that we have failing or young people in Chicago at the end that we face and we in these not a new is a recurring issue.

these core few, curfews, these restrictions do not do anything to address the root causes of You think that what see because to especially line was we seeing right now and the federal government, the disinvestment, the federal government just took 153 million dollars and substance abuse programs with a state of Illinois.

What we do continue to fail.

We see whether administration robbing men Trish and it the close 50 schools in the poorest areas of the city whipping continues to pay the consequences of that.

I do think that what we need is a CDN as a state in these.

Not only there's been some a T of the city to development programming, more opportunities, more spaces for young people.

You know, always, you know, when you go anywhere, the first questions I was gonna call the kits and it ended today.

The kids are doing well.

And I think that responsibly Fres actually to fight real solutions to address lack of of investment into young people.

And that's thing that I do have a question.

Some people would argue that, you know, there has been a big push of an effort to >> bringing forth more programs like from organizations like Buildin.

You can.

Is there enough?

Well, when when you close 50 schools in the prisoners of the city, I mean, that was a bloodbath.

>> And was stealing.

And these are lasting consequences.

When we continue to see that this investment, that's I'm calling and and a the governor.

Right programs like Love City, a program that we invested there on the ground that we received from the city of 2022 heated interview them.

And just so people know it's it's a.

>> A media company were teens common and they can create different types of shows and movies.

In fact, that program is doing well and we don't have enough space.

They don't have enough space.

We need to invest more in that actually talking to trivial.

There is another, a track records at company that does.

He probably has been doing a lot of in in House music.

Sorry.

>> In community, they want to partner up at the Wellcome Units need to work together.

We need to invest more so have more opportunities.

But those restrictions go court solutions only going anything, get more people more more, the fires you know, is is not going to address.

The issue is going to just anything bold.

I think that what we need to do as a city as a state is to develop solutions together.

We need to work with the governor.

need to work together to invest in young people on the mountains.

What are your thoughts on what's he saying?

Well, I actually agree with my colleague and I wish she agreed with me.

I agree with him on the need to do a better job addressing the root causes.

That is absolutely something.

We're on the same page in matter of fact, after the most recent incident were 300 teens took over the streets of Streeterville, committed a variety of crimes.

>> Shoplifting vandalism attacks on police officers and the shooting the next day, 1500 teens can down the street well.

And you know what they did?

They went to an organized event at Navy Pier.

They had a job fair.

We had counselors on hand.

We had organized activity.

We had programs.

We had arts.

We had all sorts of things.

>> To bring them into the fold and show them there's an alternative to a life of crime.

It worked.

We support that.

What I need is my colleague to support the other side when the violence breaks out, we need an immediate response.

We need law enforcement.

You can't break up a right with a job fair.

It simply doesn't work.

So it's a 2 pronged approach.

And I think it's very destructive to pit one against the ready to invest even more in the root causes.

In fact, this mayor is spending significantly more money.

Then Mayor Lightfoot did and Mayor Lightfoot spent significantly more money than Mayor Emanuel did.

We are doing more than we ever have done as a city to address those root causes to provide those kinds of social support programs to have violence interrupters on the street.

In fact, we had violence interrupters out there in Streeterville in both of these incidents.

So we're doing that and we need to continue doing that.

But that won't stop the violence when it breaks out Middle intervention.

And I want to bring in the young boy.

So we actually spoke with a youth leader earlier today who shared his reaction to the curfews.

Let's take a listen.

>> when dealing with this again and I feel think her views aren't working.

So why are we trying to enforce it It was like when are we going to a sit down and actually tell and see like what what is going on like, you know what?

that's what need to do.

Things.

>> Aldermen by a teacher Lopez.

How can the city bring youth into the solution making process?

I mean, again, you said this is not, you know, problem that just happened.

This has been going I mean, is you know, budgets are budgets are moral documents.

Many of colleagues did not want to cut even more youth programming thing that we need to do more in terms of investing in summer programming.

We need to call on the governor, the Bluff City program.

He's about to funding in June.

I mean, we're not doing enough and we look at federal level what is happening.

I think that these this is a call for action for the governor, for the mayor, for all of us to work together to create more safe places.

I would challenges all of us look to Chicago.

They 27 million dollar budget for bringing to a few that we a lot for tourism, not enough for a challenges.

All of us with a more what said.

But I'm listening to the young people in this in the court fees that are working, that snow continue going in the right direction.

Let's change courses and there's the man again over investment from the governor or mayor from a city council to create opportunities.

These young kids need our own leadership and his moment aldermen Hopkins.

It seems like you do agree with what he's saying, but we're years sinking is.

You're thinking about your your residents?

Absolutely.

I can't understate corrosive effects of these violent takeovers.

Hundreds of people.

>> Running up and down the streets, robbing from the convenience stores, harming people.

We had a pregnant woman who was attacked in a similar event last year.

Who want miss carrying.

There's a very serious problem and it needs an immediate solution and needs a law enforcement just say this is about public safety for When there's no question, it's up our public safety and we're, you know, we should be listening to the young people's voices.

And of course, a 12 year-old doesn't want to have a curfew.

But again, the curfew restrictions here are for unaccompanied minors.

Only who are congregating on mass groups downtown without supervision.

It's not for someone going to a job.

It's not for someone going to an organized event or ticketed event or this is important.

It's not for someone with adult supervision.

These are for 12, 13, 14 year-olds on the streets of downtown at 9, 10, 11 o'clock at night with no supervision.

It's really hard to say that that's acceptable because any organized society is simply not acceptable.

children need supervision virtually again.

What are we doing to create more jobs, more opportunities?

I mean, these are many other parents who are working 2, 3, jobs.

>> There's a coming from our communities that don't have anything for the kids out there.

So always going to do it effectively is to send them right back.

We cannot to humanize.

We cannot criminalize the young people who need Most locals are of the critics of the curfew say punches all young people for the action of a few.

You know, how do you respond to that?

Absolutely.

that's what we do.

And we have blanket policies like curfews.

I do thing like I said, we need to invest.

We need to look at it.

The first when we invited Streeterville hasn't even give you a name at tried it renown House music program the West to partner with us.

I think we need more partnerships, investing in and more program.

Absolutely.

On the state level, you know, we can cut it back.

I'm really concerned about.

I really would like to now that the governor comes back from Mexico.

We need to we need to have see that.

We need to create new jobs locally.

We'd investing of people help it Cochran's.

We only have a couple seconds to what would be your message to the mayor.

My message to the mayor is he needs to support this very simple tool.

We have an established 10:00PM curfew.

It's working.

We've seen at work.

All we have to do is started at 08:00PM and the same things that stop the mayhem in the violence at 10 can be used to stop the mayhem