After a Halloween night that saw hundreds of teens swarm D.C.’s Navy Yard, some city leaders say emergency curfews do help restore order, and they now want to keep them in place.
Teens gather in a Navy Yard park as D.C. police circle the area on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025.
After a Halloween night that saw hundreds of teens swarm D.C.’s Navy Yard, some District leaders say emergency curfews do help restore order, and they now want to keep them in place.
The push comes after weeks of reported escalating disorderly conduct by juveniles since the summer emergency bill expired Oct. 5.
“These happen so quickly, within a matter of minutes, you have hundreds of kids,” Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah said Monday.
Appiah said the curfews were prompted this weekend after a large group of teens gathered Friday night, leading to fights and arrests. Unlike other recent gatherings promoted online as “takeovers,” the city had no advance warning of the Halloween event.
The large group had blocked an area around M and 1st streets, according to a news release from the police department.
Shortly after 8 p.m., the group of teens and young adults “increased in size,” and later broke out into fights and disrupted the flow of traffic. Police had urged other residents to avoid the area until it was cleared at around 11 p.m.
Once the curfew was enacted on Nov. 1, police stopped 18 teens for curfew violations, but no arrests were made. The teens were reunited with their parents.
“We don’t want to arrest a bunch of kids. That’s not what we’re looking to do,” Appiah said.
She’s urging the D.C. Council to reinstate a summer emergency bill that allows for daily curfews for kids under 18 and permits curfews to start as early as 8 p.m. in targeted zones. The curfew can last up to four days and be extended to 30 days, with additional orders from the mayor. If passed, the emergency bill would remain in effect for 90 days.
The emergency legislation also gave the police chief authority to set curfew zones without waiting for a mayoral order.
The council is expected to vote on the extension Tuesday.
“We believe that this is an important tool to have, that it’s worked,” Appiah said. “We cannot be in a position where we’re behind.”
Although the emergency legislation expired, Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a new public emergency order under her administrative authority. That allows her to impose curfews in urgent situations. The order created a citywide 11 p.m. curfew and allowed the police chief to set juvenile curfew zones starting as early as 6 p.m.
Appiah also addressed concerns from council members about data, saying curfew enforcement data is posted online weekly and that the drop in violations after curfews were enacted shows the policy works.
She said social media plays a role in organizing these gatherings, sometimes by adults seeking viral content.
Appiah responded to concerns about equity, saying curfews are “neutral” and that communities of color are often both impacted and victimized. That, she said, is why action is necessary.
“These tools are neutral, in and of themselves. The impact may be different because of a host of long standing reasons … that we’re not going to address with a single curfew tool. But we can’t fail to address what we’re seeing because of that. We need to work together on longer term systemic solutions to address those issues,” she said.
She said Bowser is also pushing for a permanent bill and is prepared to act again if the council vote fails.
“She’s mindful of that and will respond accordingly,” Appiah said.
“We have some limited circumstances where young people are writing on social media where they’re planning to meet up to engage in fights or other problematic behavior,” said Council member Brooke Pinto, who is sponsoring the emergency curfew legislation.
The curfew would follow the same structure that the city saw over the summer, starting at 11 p.m.
Council Chairman Phil Mendelson told reporters on Monday that he was in favor of this emergency legislation after the weekend melee.
“This is not about locking up juveniles. This is about to deterring the behavior to congregate in large numbers and then vandalize,” he said. “This seems to be a fad with juveniles right now, they were doing it National Harbor, then it seemed to quiet down. Now, it’s reemerged as something that the juveniles want to do. ”
Pinto told WTOP that the summer curfew that was passed after incidents during the Fourth of July weekend had been successful during its 90 days.
“There were seven of these zones declared. In those zones, there were zero violations, zero arrests. Unfortunately, I moved an extension of that bill in October, and it was voted down by my colleagues,” she said.
Pinto remains optimistic that it will be passed this time around during Tuesday’s legislative meetings and later signed by the mayor and then reviewed by Congress.
“My hope is that can all happen before this weekend, so that the police chief can have this authority again, as is appropriate,” Pinto said.
The emergency curfew declared by the mayor will be active through Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 11:59 p.m.
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D.C. police announced a total of 18 curfew violators were stopped by officers on the first night of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s limited juvenile curfew, which went into effect Saturday.
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Navy Yard Halloween melee prompts new curfew for youths
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Navy Yard Halloween melee prompts new curfew for youths
D.C. police said a total of 18 curfew violators were stopped by officers on the first night of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s limited juvenile curfew, which went into effect Saturday.
The curfew was implemented in response to an incident Halloween night where D.C. police, as well as Metro and Capitol Police, worked alongside the National Guard to disperse a large group of teens that had congregated in the Navy Yard neighborhood.
Five arrests were made, with charges ranging from possession of a knife to resisting arrest.
Special juvenile curfew zones have been established in Navy Yard, the U Street Corridor and along Union Station and the Banneker Recreation Center.
Anyone under 18 cannot be in the zones without an adult between the hours of 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. A citywide youth curfew then goes into effect at 11 p.m. and lasts until 6 a.m.
Under the mayor’s order, those curfews are set to take effect every night through Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. But, in recent weeks, Bowser has called on the D.C. Council to enact a permanent curfew.
On Saturday night, D.C. police said they stopped 14 juveniles who refused to leave one of the established curfew zones in the area of 14th and U Street, Northwest around 10:40 p.m.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser joins WTOP to discuss the youth curfew in effect through Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Early Saturday, at approximately 12:24 a.m., officers found two juveniles in violation of the citywide curfew in the 1100 block of New Jersey Avenue SE. Two more were found in the area of 9th and U Street NW, just before 3 a.m.
Police said youths who were engaged by officers generally complied and dispersed the zones when asked.
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The D.C. police department has established a curfew zone for kids and teens in the District’s U Street corridor, effective from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. from Thursday to Sunday.
The D.C. police department has established a curfew zone for kids and teens in the District’s U Street corridor, effective from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. from Thursday to Sunday.
Chief of Police Pamela Smith announced the expanded curfew Wednesday. Anyone 17 years old and under within the zone is not allowed to gather in a group of nine or more in any public place or on the premises of any establishment, according to a news release from D.C. police.
This is the second curfew put in place for the U Street area this summer.
A map of the curfew zone. (Courtesy D.C. police)
The curfew doesn’t apply to kids and teens who are out with a parent or guardian.
Running an errand at the direction of a parent or guardian, without detour or stop
Riding in a vehicle involved in interstate travel
Working or returning home from a job, without detour or stop
Having an emergency
Standing on a sidewalk right outside their residence or the residence of a next-door neighbor, if the neighbor did not complain to police
Attending an official school, religious or other recreational activity sponsored by a group that takes responsibility for the child or teen
Exercising their First Amendment rights protected by the U.S. Constitution
There is also a citywide curfew still in effect through Aug. 31 for kids and teens 17 and under, which begins each night from 11 p.m. and goes until 6 a.m. the following morning.
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A youth curfew is now in effect at National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland, after a surge in incidents involving young people.
A youth curfew is now in effect at National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Unaccompanied kids and teens who are 16 and younger aren’t allowed there on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights from 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. The first time a kid is caught unsupervised will come with a warning. After that, a written notice will be mailed to their parents.
The curfew comes after rowdy scenes last weekend, when about 800 young people at National Harbor were fighting, shoplifting, illegally smoking and engaging in other criminal behavior, Police Chief Malik Aziz said.
A sign at National Harbor seen on April 26, 2024. (WTOP/Matt Kaufax)
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks declared a state of emergency Thursday that allows officials to enforce the curfew.
Alsobrooks’ order came after the Prince George’s County Council took action to address incidents at National Harbor this week. The Committee of the Whole passed an emergency bill Tuesday that would let the county police chief designate juvenile curfew zones if requested by retail and commercial property owners.
That legislation could be taken up by the council next week. If passed, it would not become law until late next month at the earliest.
WTOP’s Matt Kaufax was at National Harbor when the curfew went into effect.
“There’s not a lot of activity on the streets, but you can see an elevated police presence,” he said. “I just had a squad car pull up to me a few seconds ago and there are signs clearly delineating all around National Harbor that the Prince George’s County emergency juvenile curfew is in effect.”
In the area of National Plaza and Waterfront Street, Kaufax said he spoke with a number of business owners about the curfew who said they really don’t have to worry about things until it gets dark.
“But, they say, when that happens, there have been a lot of issues recently with looting, vandalism, yelling, profanity, lots of fighting, lots of teens out and about just causing rowdiness and committing crime, frankly, in this area late night. They are in favor — every small business owner who I’ve spoken to today is in favor of this curfew,” he said.
Prince George’s County police confirmed to WTOP that exact data of how many warnings were dolled out will be released on Monday.
WTOP’s Jessica Kronzer and Matt Kaufax contributed to this report.
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MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Miami Beach officials imposed a curfew beginning Sunday night during spring break after two fatal shootings and rowdy, chaotic crowds that police have had difficulty controlling.
The city said in a news release the curfew would be from 11:59 p.m. Sunday until 6 a.m. Monday, with an additional curfew likely to be put in place Thursday through next Monday, March 27. The curfew mainly affects South Beach, the most popular party location for spring breakers.
The release said the two separate shootings Friday night and early Sunday that left two people dead and “excessively large and unruly crowds” led to the decision. The city commission plans a meeting Monday to discuss potential further restrictions next week.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said in a video message posted Sunday that the crowds and presence of numerous firearms has “created a peril that cannot go unchecked” despite massive police presence and many city-sponsored activities meant to keep people busy.
“We don’t ask for spring break in our city. We don’t want spring break in our city. It’s too rowdy, it’s too much disorder, and it’s too difficult to police,” Gelber said.
The latest shooting happened about 3:30 a.m. Sunday on Ocean Drive in South Beach, according to Miami Beach police. A male was shot and died later at a hospital, and officers chased down a suspect on foot, police said on Twitter. Their identities were not released, nor were any possible charges.
In the Friday night shooting, one male victim was killed and another seriously injured, sending crowds scrambling in fear from restaurants and clubs into the streets as gunshots rang out. Police detained one person at the scene and found four firearms, but no other details have been made available.
Under the curfew, people must leave businesses before midnight, although hotels can operate later only in service to their guests. The city release said restaurants can stay open only for delivery and the curfew won’t apply to residents, people going to and from work, emergency services and hotel guests. Some roads will be closed off and arriving hotel guests may have to show proof of their reservations.
Last year, the city imposed a midnight curfew following two shootings, also on Ocean Drive. The year before that, there were about 1,000 arrests and dozens of guns confiscated during a rowdy spring break that led Miami Beach officials to take steps aimed at calming the situation.
