ROANOKE, Va. – Nearly two dozen people came out Monday night to protest Roanoke City’s curfew expansion.
The expansion now includes extra restrictions on ages 13 or younger, as well as adjusting the general age threshold to people between 14 and 16.
The Roanoke Young Democrats organized the protest in response to the council’s vote to expand the curfew.
The Young Democrats add they spoke out at the March curfew hearings and were ignored.
“All that they really accomplish is increasing juvenile incarceration rates, and increasing the number of negative interactions between police and juveniles. That’s such an issue in the city because that’s a challenge for the city because we have an issue of trust and the youth and the police,” Co-president Dominic Harden said.
They say they would like to see more extracurriculars, and extended hours at public locations, like libraries for youth to go to.