Cities fearing Halloween mayhem put teens on notice, announce curfews and crackdowns after violent takeovers

Cities across the country are putting teens on notice for Halloween weekend, rolling out curfews and crackdowns to head off the kind of chaos that unfolds during so-called teen takeovers.From the Jersey Shore to suburban Atlanta, officials are setting curfews for teenagers and adding police patrols, many of them in places still reeling from takeovers that drew hundreds of teens and ended in fights and arrests.In Oak Park, Illinois, the chief of police wrote that her agency is trying to prevent a similar Halloween teen takeover last year from happening again.INSIDE THE TEEN TAKEOVERS THREATENING TO EXPLODE THIS SUMMER AS CITIES REMAIN ON EDGE: 'VERY WORRIED'Video captures chaotic scenes in downtown Chicago’s Loop as a large group of teens floods the area, with fights breaking out and police responding before a curfew enforcement order helps disperse the crowd.(Justin/Fox 32 Chicago)Last Halloween, an estimated 500 teens swarmed downtown Oak Park, where fights and gunshots erupted and police called in help from six neighboring agencies, according to a department memo.Oak Park Chief of Police Shatonya Johnson said the agency will be increasing the amount of officers on shift during Halloween, as well as several more measures aimed at preventing another teen takeover.CHICAGO MAYOR WARNS OF ‘TEEN TREND’ AFTER TAKEOVER CHAOS, VIOLENCE CONCERNS GROWAdults in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago are taking matters into their own hands and plan to show out en masse on the streets to prevent large gatherings by teenagers.

The group, called CollaBOOration, was established after a series of large Halloween gatherings from 2016 to 2019 where teen takeovers turned violent, according to Block Club Chicago.FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X"What we’re really trying to do is establish a critical mass on the street, possibly before the Halloween festivities even start," the group's founder Bennie Currie said."So when these large gatherings happen, like we’ve seen every ...