On Easter Sunday night, a large crowd of young people gathered near the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. A fight broke out, and according to police, while officers were breaking up that fight, less than 40 feet away, a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old were shot. One is listed in “critical but stable” condition and the other in stable condition, according to Police Commissioner Michael Harrison.
Over the weekend, several more young people were shot. Saturday night, a 12 year old boy was killed in the Westport Homes in South Baltimore. Last night, there was a triple shooting in the Jonestown neighborhood in which three teens were wounded, including a 17-year-old who was shot in the head. So far this year, one in three shooting victims in Baltimore have been under the age of 18.
Last week,Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott announced that, quote, we are “going back to the old days” of enforcing curfews, beginning on Memorial Day Weekend.
Today on Midday: Are curfews an effective way to keep kids and the rest of us, safe? Can they be effectively enforced? Do curfews criminalize kids, especially children of color?
Tom's three guests today provide some unique perspectives on these questions.
We begin with Baltimore City Councilman Mark Conway, who chairs the Council's Public Safety Committee. He joins Tom in Studio A...
Later in the program, Tom is joined by law professor Kristin Henning. She is the director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown Law, and the author of The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth.
Lakeidra Chavisjoins us as well. She is a staff writer for the Marshall Project, a non-profit news organization reporting on criminal justice issues and advocating for systemic reforms.
Both women join us on Zoom.
