It’s understandable that Chicagoans are fed up with the rise in street takeovers, drag racing and drifting, and other illegal activities carried out by minors and young adults. Should there be consequences? Absolutely.
But an ordinance introduced by Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) that would make it a crime for a parent or legal guardian to “willfully or knowingly” allow a minor to engage in offenses such as panhandling, underage drinking and curfew violations and imposing fines ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, is short-sighted. This approach could, in fact, exacerbate the social, emotional and economic circumstances that are driving these errant behaviors.
In the last three years, our young people have been through what I call a thrices: COVID-19, political polarization and racial inequity. When there’s trauma, which is not only violence but anything that upsets their “normal,” the output can be anxiety, anger, social awkwardness and low academic performance.
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The poverty rate in Chicago is 17.2%, with more than 450,000 residents living below the poverty line, according to the Illinois Policy Institute. A four-figure fine could devastate a poor family’s finances for a year or more, affecting their ability to provide basic needs like food and shelter, save money for college or move to a safer neighborhood.
Lopez additionally calls for licensed family counseling and community service. I support residents serving their communities, as well as family counseling, but who is going to pay for it?
Most insurance only covers a portion of mental health costs. In Illinois, the highest percentage of uninsured residents are also among the poorest, with household incomes ranging from $25,000 to $49,999, according to the U.S. Census.
Furthermore, how would prosecutors prove a parent was knowingly and willfully enabling this behavior? It sounds ripe for abuse of prosecutorial power and biased sentencing.
If the intent of this ordinance is to discourage youth behaviors under threat of compounding their family’s hardship, then I implore elected officials to find the through-line between youth acting out, the thousands of students Chicago Public Schools lost track of during the pandemic, the number who are unemployed and not in college, service or job training and the lack of empathy that has set our traumatized youth adrift in a post-pandemic world.
Cosette Nazon-Wilburn, executive director, Love Unity & Values Institute, Woodlawn
A good bet
What a shocker that experts are saying gambling addiction is likely to go up with the opening of a new Chicago casino. It is part of the price you pay when politicians OK gambling without looking at the negatives.
Dave Tabel, Chicago Ridge
Biden, the adult in the room
Many people support Donald Trump because the grievances he expresses resonate with the grievances they feel. Even they, however, have to admit there are times when the world needs the American president to be the adult in the room.
These past recent days have been one of those times, and Joe Biden has filled that role perfectly.
Frank Palmer, Edgewater
