On March 30th, a mass shooting took place in downtown Indy. Seven people ages 12-16 were hurt. The police showed up in time, and all individuals injured in the event are alive.
The shooting was undoubtedly tragic, but what made it stand out was the fact that with Indy’s curfew laws, no one under 15 was allowed to be out past 11 p.m. This violence could have possibly been avoided by stricter curfew enforcement.
This shooting, along with a recent increase in gun violence across the city, has prompted a crackdown by the police on the enforcement of this curfew to attempt to stop something like this from happening again.
The curfew laws are as follows: Children ages 15-17 may not be in any public place between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, after 11 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday, or before 5 a.m. on Monday through Friday. Children under 15 may not be in any public place between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. on any day.
Police have said they will now take a more active role in enforcing this curfew by warning groups of minors 30 minutes and 15 minutes before the curfew. Someone in violation of the curfew will be taken to a designated “safe space,” and then attempts will be made to contact guardians. If this fails, the person could be moved to a juvenile detention center while waiting for their parents.
This curfew does have a few exceptions, including if one is accompanied by a parent or guardian, with a trusted adult determined by one’s parents, going to work, participating in freedom of speech, or participating in educational activities.
The police are hoping that stricter enforcement of the curfew will help reduce violence in the city overall.