When officials in Newark noted a recent increase in violent crime in their city, they were especially concerned about teenagers, both as perpetrators and as victims.
They turned to an old-fashioned idea to keep young people out of trouble: an overnight curfew that had been on the books since 1992 but had gone largely unenforced.
“Necessity is the mother of invention,” Mayor Ras J. Baraka said in a recent interview.
“The things we do in Newark are sometimes because we don’t have a choice.
After school lets out for the summer, it will be enforced on weeknights, too.
Persons:
Ras J, Baraka
Locations:
Newark