Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling on Monday urged local parents to remain vigilant about the whereabouts of their teenagers ahead of the city's planned New Year's celebration this week.
“We want our youth to experience this event and the best of our city with us, and we encourage families to make a plan with their children and teens,” Johnson said. “Parents, talk to your children about their plans and help them find a safe place to go if they are separated from their group.”
On Wednesday, the city will hold a New Year's Eve celebration on Wacker Drive between Franklin Street and Columbus Drive.
“Please know where your children are,” Snelling said, before repeating his request two more times.
“We have a lot of young people that come into town and do the right thing, they enjoy it and they are responsible,” Snelling said. “But we have young people who show up and come here with the intention of causing trouble.”
“The Chicago Police Department will not tolerate this.”
Snelling said CPD officers will be highly visible downtown, on the CTA and throughout the rest of the city as the calendar moves toward 2026.
A month ago, two shootings occurred in the Loop shortly after the city's annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Millennium Park. As a result of the shelling, a 14-year-old boy was killed and eight other teenagers were injured.
“Teen Takeover” meetings have irritated city officials for more than a decade. Unauthorized gatherings, usually organized on social media, often see hundreds of unaccompanied minors zigzagging through the city center. Interpersonal skirmishes often escalate into fist fights, which sometimes end in gunfire.
Johnson said outreach workers would also be deployed along the waterfront to ensure safety, although anyone under 17 must be accompanied by an adult after 10 p.m.
“As we close out one of the most transformative years of violence reduction in our city's history, we want to end this year safe and strong,” Johnson added. “This holiday belongs to our entire city.”
