Washington’s out-of-control “teen takeover” circus may finally be getting a reality check — and this time, the adults are the ones being warned to straighten up.
Interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced Friday that parents in the nation’s capital could face up to six months behind bars if they knowingly allow their kids to run wild in the city’s increasingly notorious mob-style youth gatherings.
Translation: Mom and Dad may no longer get to shrug and say, “Kids will be kids,” while stores are trashed, neighborhoods are terrorized and cops are stretched thin babysitting swarms of roaming teens.
“Teen takeovers have disrupted neighborhoods, forced businesses to close temporarily, and diverted valuable law enforcement resources from the residents of the District,” Pirro said in a blistering statement. “These incidents have become increasingly common in areas such as Navy Yard and NoMa and are often accompanied by criminal conduct, including assaults, robberies, fights, and other disorderly behavior.”
And unlike the soft-on-crime crowd at D.C. City Hall, Pirro sounded done playing social worker.
“Law-abiding taxpayers should not subsidize chaos caused by parental neglect,” she said. “Parents do your job, or we will do ours.”
The crackdown targets curfew violations tied to so-called “takeover-related incidents” — the now-familiar scenes where hundreds of teens flood public spaces, overwhelm police, harass bystanders and turn trendy neighborhoods into open-air madhouses.
Under the new push, parents could be hit with criminal citations even if their children are prosecuted separately. Cases may also include mandatory parenting classes, counseling orders and court supervision.
Washington already has curfew rules on the books: minors must be off the streets by 11 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends. But critics have long blasted city leaders for treating the rules more like polite suggestions than actual law.
Pirro took direct aim at the D.C. Council, accusing local lawmakers of refusing to confront the growing disorder.
“She accused the D.C. City Council of refusing to ‘deal with the problem, and their lack of action creates an extremely dangerous situation for the people of the District and the teens themselves.’”
The numbers tell the story residents already know. Viral videos of massive teen mobs flooding Metro stations, waterfront districts and shopping corridors have become a recurring embarrassment for the capital city. Businesses in Navy Yard and other entertainment hubs have repeatedly shut down early over safety concerns, while residents complain that basic public order has vanished after dark.
Meanwhile, Washington’s leadership has often appeared more worried about offending activists than protecting commuters, restaurant workers or tourists ducking fights and flash mobs.
The Justice Department also announced Friday that another 1,500 National Guard troops could soon hit D.C. streets as part of a broader summer security surge ahead of America’s 250th Independence Day celebrations.
That would bring the Guard presence in Washington to roughly 5,000 personnel — an astonishing number for a city that politicians insist is perfectly under control.
“High visibility presence reduces response times to crime, provides support to law enforcement on scene and keeps officers and civilians safe,” U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces Serralta said during a press conference.
Imagine that: visible policing deters crime. A concept revolutionary enough to shock half the bureaucrats in Washington.
