A routine weekend at a Chipotle near the Washington, DC Navy Yard erupted into chaos when a group of youths turned the restaurant into a battleground, hurling chairs and sending families scrambling for safety.
According to Gateway Pundit, frightened customers, including small children, were forced into a corner of the establishment as the teen mob clashed violently in yet another display of lawlessness that has become disturbingly common in the nations capital. Authorities have not yet disclosed what sparked the melee or whether any of the participants were detained, underscoring the broader sense of impunity that has accompanied these so?called teen takeovers in cities across the country.
The Justice Department, under growing pressure to restore order, is now signaling a tougher stance by targeting not only the offenders but their parents as well. US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro announced Friday that her office will begin charging parents of youths who violate curfew, citing a disturbing trend of teen takeovers that has left residents on edge and businesses vulnerable.
Pirro made clear she intends to use existing local law to its fullest extent, stating that she will proceed under D.C. Code 22-811. Starting today, my office will aggressively prosecute parents under D.C.s curfew law, and the specific statute that we will use is a violation of D.C. Code 22-811, and it involves contributing to the delinquency of a minor, she said.
This statute makes it unlawful for an adult to enable, facilitate, or permit a minor to engage in delinquent acts, Pirro explained, emphasizing that parental negligence will no longer be treated as a side issue. And if you drop your kid off, and you fail to supervise them, or you let them skip school to join the chaos, you are going to face fines, court-ordered classes, and possible jail time!
Parents, do your job. Or we will do ours, she warned, underscoring a message of personal responsibility that has long been championed by conservatives alarmed by rising urban disorder. The penalty is up to six months imprisonment, so if the evidence shows the parent knew, or should have known, or permitted, or failed to prevent participation, were going to charge them, she said, a move many law?and?order advocates see as a necessary corrective to years of permissive policies that have left communitiesand especially childrenpaying the price.
Login