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CHICAGO (WLS) — Residents and businesses in Hyde Park have been on alert for a potential “teen takeover” that was anticipated to occur on Tuesday evening, but thus far, the event has not transpired.
The gathering was slated to kick off at around 5:30 p.m. According to reports from ABC7, police have been dispatched throughout the area to monitor various sections of the community. By 6 p.m., no incidents had been reported.
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“Having more people around can help de-escalate situations and potentially prevent some of the activities we’ve seen in the past,” stated Bennie Currie, a resident of Hyde Park. “This is the first step, and we’re hoping to continue these efforts, especially with summer on the horizon.”
In anticipation of the rumored event, several business owners took proactive measures by organizing their own “adult takeover.” They engaged with young people to dissuade them from participating in the planned Tuesday night gathering.
“Enjoy yourselves, come out and have fun, but don’t destroy anything,” urged Marquinn McDonald, a member of the 2nd District Community Council. “You can have fun without causing damage. It’s usually a small group that causes trouble, so spread the word to them that such behavior isn’t welcome here.”
Last week, social media buzzed with posts promoting a takeover in Hyde Park for Tuesday, encouraging attendees to bring their own alcohol and marijuana. In response, some business owners called on adults to show up as a countermeasure.
Trez Pugh has operated his Sip and Savor coffee shop in Hyde Park for the last 14 years. He cares about this community, and what he saw during last month’s teen takeover left him feeling more than frustrated.
“It was heartbreaking, to be honest, man. I mean, it was total chaos. It was no control, no law and order, and I just felt as though something needed to be done,” Pugh said.
At his shop, Pugh hosted a parent takeover in response.
“What we plan on doing is bringing awareness to the community. People need to know where their kids are, where their nephews or their cousins, when they out here, you know, wreaking havoc throughout the community and all that. It’s fun for them until it’s not,” Pugh said.
The parent takeover was an idea from businessman and philanthropist Early Walker, who is calling this an amber alert, if you will, for parents, with the mindset it takes a village to respond to problems like this.
“So, I’m calling for the village to come out and try to combat, you know, this whole teen trend era that we have going on. There’s no way in the world we should have a situation where kids are taking over our communities. They’re taking over our businesses. They’re damaging our property,. They’re damaging our communities,” Walker said.
READ MORE | Chicago City Council committee to take up measures on teen takeovers
Jason Hale fully supports the parent response. During the March 30 teen trend, kids ran across the top of cars, including his, causing $3,000 in damage, and his car is still in the shop. He hopes kids get the message that this kind of behavior has to stop.
“You really can’t tell them anything. You could tell them, ‘Do this, do that.’ It all comes up to their upbringing and how they were parented. If they never had accountability, and they weren’t raised right, and they weren’t raised with structure, then you telling them isn’t going to do anything,” Hale said. “I just think it’s completely out of control. It’s one thing to come and hang out, right? But it’s another thing to destroy people’s property, jump people, shooting people, all these different things. This is this is a problem. This is a crisis. And it bothers me that this is happening again, because now I’m worried about my wife’s car.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson posted a plea to parents on X, saying, “Parents, be aware of where your children are going this evening. DO NOT allow your children to attend one of these gatherings; they are dangerous and can often turn violent.”
A number of adults from Kenwood Academy were part of the adult group on Tuesday night.
“Hyde Park is an amazing area, and it’s not odd that people want to come and walk,” said Kenwood Academy High School Principal Karen Calloway. “There’s nothing wrong with that. We just want to make sure that everybody is safe.”
Some of them walked south from their initial location to meet with some of the teens who were in the neighborhood for the takeover.
“Let’s stand together. You know, if they’ve got 100 kids out here, we need to have 100 parents. If there’s 500 kids out here, we need to have 500 parents, right? Whatever it takes to combat this, and we don’t need it to be where it’s a police issue, because that’s when things go left, right?” Walker said.
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