Editor’s Note: As of now, The Intersection unable to substantiate claims that 800 youth descended upon National Harbor and that youth were engaged in a fight club. However, something indeed happened. The Intersection has reached out to government officials substantiate this narrative, but we have not anything from them. We will update article if we need to.

Two weeks ago, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks stood before a podium and announced that she issued a state of emergency to implement a youth curfew in The National Harbor. Allegedly, she claimed, this was due to some youth committing crimes in the area. Police Chief Malik Aziz alleged that “800 youth” had gathered at The Harbor and participated in a “fight club,” were disturbing pedestrians, smoking marijuana, and would not listen to violence interrupters, a group of people designated to stop violence in a given area. 

Alsobrooks said the alleged violence confirmed what they had already assumed. The summer is coming. They believe some youth’s engagement in alleged criminal activity will increase. For them, these alleged events are a confirmation that may continue into the summer when most children are out of school. Last summer, Prince George's County Police Chief Malik Aziz implemented a summer police plan.

The curfew was effective around two weeks ago. From Friday to Sunday, 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. parents must accompany their youth who are 16 years old and younger. However, if youth are not accompanied by parents while at the Harbor for a prom or religious service, they will get a pass.

If youth are accompanied and caught, they will be in the hands of government officials until parents are contacted. Parents will be issued a warning citation. Additionally, if youth are caught a second time unaccompanied, their parents will be issued a fine that could be as much as $250. 

The latter part of this resolution comes because some county residents in South County have passionately and aggressively suggested that parents should be “held accountable” for their children’s poor decisions. In many speeches, Alsobrooks has amplified some community members' voices when it comes to holding parents accountable. 

“We continue to increase methods to punish children but fail to provide wrap-around, mental health, and recreational services that get to the root cause,” said Tamara McKinney, a member of the Prince George’s County for Police Accountability. “This continues to feed the school-to-prison pipeline instead of uplifting our children’s humanity. By imposing fines and fees on parents, we are putting families in the difficult position of choosing to feed their families or pay a ticket.”

Carlos Childs, regional organizer at the ACLU of Maryland, said: “It is horrific that parents will be forced to decide between feeding and providing shelter for their family and paying the fines and fees outlined, which will only exacerbate economic instability and other factors that lead to people committing crimes of poverty. The passing of this bill will lead to increased police interactions, racial profiling, and may lead to children being harassed or brutalized by officers.”

In Alsobrooks’ press conference regarding youth, she often asks: “Where are the parents?” Alsobrooks has received praise from other government officials and some county residents for chastising county parents for their alleged negligence. Historically, Black parents have often been overly criticized for their children's behavior.  The Intersection has found that this question operates to obscure the reality of some of these youths, who may not have parents and can operate as misinformation. 

In our Q&A with Melissa Pryce, the district public defender in Prince George’s County, said youth “hail from a variety of different backgrounds. Some of the parents of the children work for federal agencies, are local government employees, and some of them work in the healthcare industry.” Last year, when Alsobrooks had issued a curfew, a county resident, who works with youth, said some children don’t have parents. 

Additionally, Alsobrooks, Aziz, and council member Jolene Ivey announced and supported a series of juvenile curfew resolutions that would be sent through the county council. Last week, two resolutions were passed. The first resolution  (CR-039-2024) gives the police chief the authority to create and enforce juvenile curfew zones. 

I have reached out to the Police Chief’s office, Angela Alsobrook's office, Council Member Ivey’s office, and three South County’s council members regarding some of the claims made during that press conference, and about the resolutions. Someone from the police chief’s office returned my call. But said that they would get back to me because the chief was busy. 

The other resolution (CB-29-2024) was sponsored by Councilman Edward Burroughs, District 8.  This proposal, which is in its third draft, gives local business owners the power to ask the police chief to create and implement a more restrictive juvenile curfew zone. 

“Instead of ensuring young people have access to creative, positive, and safe ways to express themselves the Prince George’s County Council has decided to criminalize thousands of children for the actions of a few young people in order to pacify commercial property owners, even though studies overwhelmingly show that curfews are ineffective at reducing crime and victimization,” said Childs.

The ACLU of Maryland has placed its stake in the ground against implementing a youth curfew. As early as 2011, members of the ACLU gave an oral testimony before the Montgomery County, County Council, saying that such a law violates the rights of teenagers as well as parents. 

“The legality of curfews has been challenged multiple times, but there is precedent for curfews being ruled unconstitutional in Maryland based on their inherent vagueness and use to target Black people, which is one of our concerns, especially given the Prince George's Police Department's history of racial discrimination,” Childs explained.

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