Kansas City officials aren’t sure what more they can do to control large crowds of underage teens congregating at night around the city, especially on the Country Club Plaza.
So they’re keeping an eye on an experiment in Philadelphia, which this week began enforcing a 9 p.m. curfew to counter the violence and rude behavior of teenagers congregating in that city’s central business district.
While not specifically asking for a similar policy here, an attorney for Plaza owner Highwoods Properties said Friday that his client would support an earlier curfew in the shopping and entertainment district.
“It’s been one of the items that’s been discussed,” said Spencer Thomson of Husch Blackwell LLP. But Highwoods is open to any strategy that would improve the situation, he said.
“We want a solution to the problem.”
What effect the early curfew might have in Philadelphia is anyone’s guess. But because Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia is looked upon as an innovator by other big-city mayors, Mayor Sly James is eager to learn if any lessons might apply here.
“Is it needed? Is it appropriate? Would it work? Those are the questions we’d be asking,” said Danny Rotert, James’ spokesman.
It would take council action to change the current curfew, which is midnight on weekends and 11 p.m. the rest of the week.
Some have suggested that James has the authority to issue an emergency curfew. The intent of that provision, however, is for it to be a tool used to respond to natural disasters or riots of the type Kansas City experienced in the 1960s, not kids congregating on sidewalks, Rotert said.
James plans to be on the Plaza tonight around 8:30 along with former councilman Alvin Brooks and a group of inner-city ministers to assess the situation.
Ever since the summer of 2003, when Bill Wasik, a senior editor of Wired magazine, who happens to be white, first introduced the notion of a flash mob at Macy's department store in New York, young people have used Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Digg, MySpace, and other media to demonstrate in commercial and public spaces that they have power, too.
What are the young people inGreat Britain, Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, and, yes, Philadelphia, saying that we are not hearing? Young people don't just magically appear en masse. What pain are they experiencing that we cannot see or feel?
"A riot is the language of the unheard," said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hence, when we see young people rioting or in flash mobs, it is because they feel powerless and want to be heard. Those with a clear sense of hope and a bright future don't cause havoc simply because they have nothing better to do.
When all black children are lumped together with a few bad actors, the powers-that-be, especially the police, don't distinguish between them. Consequently, all black children are endangered and the potential is increased for stirring up the not-so-hidden racism in the City of Brotherly Love.
The violence that has ailed the black community for decades is symptomatic of the ills blacks contend with economically, educationally, politically, and socially. Some in the black community are victims of "terror" on a daily basis.
But, as it is with any other problem, as long as violence stays in the black community, the media, politicians, and authorities can ignore the systemic issues and treat us all alike. However, the moment the problem spreads into Center City, or is no longer contained within our communities, there is outrage.
This is not only problematic, but sickening. When we value the lives of those who live in Center City more than those who live in North, South, or West Philadelphia, we are sending a message that the lives of those who have been "kissed by nature's sun" don't matter. The issues plaguing our youths should have been addressed some time ago, and should be addressed by all of us.
Frederick Douglass warned that "Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is in an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe."
We can no longer ignore the cries of our children. They need more than tough talk, a few recreation centers, and inevitable profiling by the police. They need involved, loving parents, quality education, jobs, and mentors. They need community-focused churches, mosques, and synagogues. They need us. Only then will the flash mobs disperse.
As always, keep the faith, and let's stop talking, start listening, and begin solving the urban challenges of our great city.
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