NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — City Council voted unanimously to approve a 7 p.m. curfew for unaccompanied minors at City Center on weekends, and businesses News 3 spoke with say they support the curfew.
The curfew is in effect Wednesday, June 10, and will be in effect every Friday and Saturday night through the Fourth of July.
Kerelos Beshai, manager of S&R Convenience and Deli, said large gatherings of young people have forced his store to put strict limits in place.
"We even had to make a rule only four kids at a time under 18," Beshai said.
Beshai said he fully supports the council's decision.
"I completely agree as someone who works at a convenience store there's a bunch of kids doing a bunch of crazy stuff, so curfew at 7 will help us out," Beshai said.
Danny Alas, assistant manager of Salsa's Mexican Grill, was at City Center during a large gathering last weekend that ended in fights and arrests. He said incidents like that take a direct toll on business.
"When stuff like that is going on does that hurt business?" News 3 asked him. "It does it does," Alas said.
He also supports the curfew. "It helps improve the business and the way that the teenagers were really out of pocket, misbehaving, and causing drama," said Alas.
Behai said businesses want City Center to remain a place where families feel welcome.
"It's a nice place where families want to come and obviously kids are welcome but when there's too many kids it just be ruining the vibes of the place," Beshai said.
The council's vote came after Newport News police say about 300 people gathered at City Center last weekend, fights broke out, and officers arrested 14 people.
Last month, police say a large group gathered early in the morning at City Center and drove chaotically through a parking garage. During the police response, an officer pointed his gun at an SUV.
Mayor Phillip Jones said the city had to act.
"Once you have 300 unaccompanied youth in the middle of your business sector it's unacceptable and it's not going to happen again," Jones said.
Not everyone at the city council meeting agreed with the approach. Resident Al Harris raised concerns that the curfew punishes young people who are not causing problems.
"When it comes to my child your child whoever it may be we penalizing the good ones too and there's far more good kids in Newport News than there is bad," Harris said.
The curfew runs every Friday and Saturday night through the Fourth of July.
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