As Prince George's County prepares to enforce a teen curfew in response to the county's deadliest month on record, a community activist who works with teens says a curfew is what kids need right now.
“They think it's part of life, their neighborhoods and how they grew up, and I got to admit that was my focus when I was that age, too,” Write Now Academy founder Gino LeGrant said.
He said he's focused on showing alternatives to kids who've experienced violence.
“We deal with a lot of life skills, and we’re very education-based,” he said.
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He said the rise in teen crime in Prince George's County is a reflection of a breakdown in the community.
“I know this isn’t the popular thing to say, but the truth of the matter is: Where are their parents?” County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said Monday.
“Some kids might not have parents, and they’re out here on their own,” LeGrant said. “We have a lot of kids like that. Then you have the parents who are working at night, and they don't have the time or don't have that oversight of where their kids are all the time because they’re trying to make ends meet.”
For kids searching for acceptance in crews and learning life lessons on the streets, LeGrant says enforcing a curfew could save their lives.
“We have to make them understand that, OK, you’re out here at 12 o'clock at night,” he said. “You might not be out doing anything, but you’re making yourself available for those things to happen to you.”
The enforcement piece may prove to be complicated as tensions within these communities and possible profiling are still real issues for police.
“How are we going to enforce this and makes sure everyone is safe and respectable?” LeGrant asked.
Programs like his work to show an alternative to kids who need it, but that's one piece of a more complicated puzzle.
Starting this weekend, Prince George's County curfew enforcement will begin with warnings for kids 17 years old and younger. Repeat offenders may be detained and released to social services if parents do not respond. Parents and businesses could face escalating fines for second and third offenses when teens are caught violating curfew.
