Law enforcement in cities across the United States are working to thwart “teen takeovers” before they erupt as Americans prepare to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday on Saturday.
The incidents, which are often organized on social media, have caused chaos and many times violent behavior and injuries in several cities recently, and police officials do not want that to happen over the Fourth of July weekend, Fox News reported Friday.
Authorities in Falmouth, Massachusetts, have reportedly increased staffing and prepared to use drones and intend to stop large meetups before they erupt into violence, while the city of Greenville, North Carolina, has apparently enacted a temporary curfew for juveniles.
Former prosecutor Margaret McLean told Fox:
It’s a big preventative measure that police are using. They’re monitoring the social media… arresting some people for rioting. If these organizers are worried that they may face criminal charges or they may get a criminal record or possibly even go to jail, they may step back and decide not to organize one of these events.
In May, Breitbart News reported the takeovers had prompted warnings from law enforcement and local officials after they broke out in neighborhoods, malls, parks, and restaurants.
Video posted online showed the chaos in several areas including Orlando, Chicago, and Myrtle Beach:
Police in St. Augustine, Florida, decided to use internet intelligence to ward off a takeover recently.
Meanwhile, several Chicago aldermen decided they wanted to punish parents for not supervising their children in regard to the teen takeovers, a move that went against Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson, per Breitbart News.
“Teen and street takeovers come in a variety of forms and have become a plague in major cities across the U.S. Most often they are staged in intersections, often creating fires, looting of stores, and dangerous stunts by speeding cars,” the outlet said. “In Chicago they have turned deadly, another ugly addition to an epidemic of shootings and homicides in the city for decades.”
McLean told Fox the incidents are a priority for law enforcement because people could be trampled and severely hurt.
“What makes them so dangerous is fights can break out and somebody, some innocent bystander can get pushed down or hurt, or they can fall and hit their head and then die from a bad head wound,” she noted.
