DETROIT – After hundreds of teens swarmed downtown Detroit last week in a gathering that included vandalism and violence, Mayor Mary Sheffield said the city will respond by giving young people a direct role in shaping safer places to spend time, while still enforcing curfews and emphasizing accountability.
In addition to launching a new Office of Youth Affairs, Sheffield announced Friday that her administration is forming a citywide youth advisory board, made up of 50 to 60 young people ages 14 to 26, who will meet monthly to discuss needs and propose ideas for youth-friendly spaces.
The board will include members from existing youth advisory councils within organizations across the city.
“While other cities have experienced chaos or division, what we saw in Detroit was community,” Sheffield said. “We saw leaders who stepped up, we saw organizations mobilize, and we saw a city come together not to point fingers, but to find solutions for our young people.”
The mayor said the city will also expand summer programming, including extended recreation center hours, “Midnight Basketball” leagues, and an “Occupy the Summer” website expected within 30 days that will list weekly youth programs. The city is also providing free bus rides for K-12 students through its Ride to Rise program.
At the same time, Detroit police Chief Todd Bettison said the city will enforce youth curfews.
Detroit’s curfew prohibits children 15 and younger from being in public places from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and 16 and 17-year-olds from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Sixteen-year-old Danasha’ Tidwell, who helped organize the downtown “takeover,” is one of several teens invited to meet with the mayor to discuss creating more productive places to gather.
“We talked about what we can do better and basically more events for teens our age and younger, just more stuff for teens to do in Detroit,” Tidwell said.
Tidwell also acknowledged the damage that accompanied the downtown gathering.
“The vandalism and the violence that happened downtown during the takeover — it was harmful and very unacceptable,” she said. “These actions put people at risk.”
Quincy Smith, executive director of Team Pursuit, a community violence intervention group, said the meeting focused on providing young people with alternatives.
“What this is about is us really creating those safe spaces for our young people so they can have an outlet,” Smith said. “We don’t have that many spaces where they can come and feel safe.”