City Council on Thursday enacted a temporary curfew for unaccompanied minors that will start at 7 p.m. on weekend nights and last until the end of April.
The “imminent threat” curfew passed unanimously two days after City Manager Patrick Duhaney and Police Chief Paul Neudigate recommended it to address unruly crowds.
The curfew will only apply from Rudee Park to 31st Street between Pacific Avenue and the ocean. The hours are from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekend nights through April 30.
The curfew is in addition to a recent decision to move up the start of the existing citywide curfew by an hour to 10 p.m., which goes into effect March 19. It, too, aims to address violence and crowds of young people at the Oceanfront.
Neudigate said Thursday police will work with city communications personnel and the schools to get the word out about the emergency curfew and its goals.
"It is a very clearly defined area," he said during the meeting. "And of course, there are the normal exemptions for traveling to and from legitimate events. I can tell you that your Virginia Beach Police Department is going to do a very empathetic job with the curfew enforcement."
Police have long struggled with crowds in the resort area, including with unpermitted gatherings that sometimes are fueled by social media and involve both young adults and juveniles. Such events tend to happen in March and April.
Last weekend, a warm Saturday night resulted in a shooting on the 1800 block of Atlantic Avenue that left six young adults wounded despite a large police presence at the Oceanfront.
That night, police also took 37 teens into custody for violating the current citywide curfew. Most were turned over to parents with a warning, though three faced charges and two illegally had weapons, according to police.
Councilmember Jennifer Rouse told WHRO the weekend curfew addresses a specific area and an issue with crowds.
"When you have a crowd of young people and then you've got someone shooting a gun, that puts a lot of people at risk," she said. "So one of the aims is to make sure that young people are in a safe place."
The ordinance states, “the presence of large crowds of juveniles has tended to correlate to past civil commotions and violent crime occurrences.”
Unaccompanied minors “are both part of this problem and potential victims of criminal acts associated with this public safety problem.”
Before Thursday’s vote, Councilmember Cash Jackson-Green said the council felt comfortable with the curfew because police are not trying to make arrests but use “coaching” to deal with crowds.
“So yes, we are enacting a curfew, but most of it will be around coaching,” Green told WHRO. “And if we have to do enforcement, then we’ve given them the power to do that.”
Under the imminent threat curfew, unaccompanied minors out after 7 p.m. could be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor, the most serious misdemeanor level, the city said in a statement released Thursday.
Under the citywide curfew, someone could face a warning or “in certain situations” a Class 4 misdemeanor.
The city noted exceptions to both curfews in its statement:
- Any emergency errand reasonably necessary to safeguard life, limb or property.
- Lawful employment, including going directly from the minor's residence to the place of such employment or returning directly from the place of such employment to the minor's residence.
- Attendance at a specified engagement or performance, attendance at religious services or participation in any assembly or expressive activity protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution; provided that the minor shall have in his possession written permission including the signature, address and telephone number, of a parent, guardian or other adult person having care, custody or control of such minor to attend such activity or event, and shall return directly to his residence upon conclusion.
- Interstate travel through, beginning or terminating in Virginia Beach.
