Mayor Brandon Johnson has spent much of his term in office arguing that curfews for teenagers are ineffective, outdated, and rooted in what he has called “the sins and the values of the past,” even as large youth gatherings downtown have repeatedly devolved into violence, including murders.
Now, with a nationally televised New Year’s Eve celebration set to unfold along the Chicago River, Johnson is striking a sharply different tone, warning teenagers that the city will strictly enforce its long-established 10 p.m. curfew downtown tonight.
The pivot, and that is the most charitable word available, is difficult to miss…