Fayetteville’s City Council voted 8–2 on Monday to reinstate the city’s youth curfew, reviving a controversial ordinance that expired in late May and has divided residents, council members, and youth advocates.
Councilmembers Shaun McMillan and Deno Hondros cast the lone votes in opposition.
The ordinance—formally called the Youth Protection Safety Ordinance—prohibits anyone 16 or younger from being in public between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., with exceptions for work, emergencies, travel, and supervised school, religious, or recreational activities.
It took effect June 22.
The curfew first stirred controversy when it was enacted in May 2025 as a pilot.
What the Ordinance Says
- Bars youth 16 and under from public places between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
- Allows exceptions for work, emergencies, travel, First Amendment activity, and supervised events
- Holds parents, business owners, and any person 17 years of age or older who aids violations legally responsible
- Allows police to issue citations only after asking a juvenile’s age and reason for being out
- Makes violations by any person 17 years of age or older a Class 3 misdemeanor with fines up to $500
The ordinance does not penalize juveniles themselves, after the City Council deleted the original criminal‑penalty language during a June 2025 revision.
A Lone Voice of Dissent
McMillan pulled the item from the consent agenda to force a public discussion, becoming the only council member to speak before the vote. He argued the ordinance’s language still reads as discriminatory, even if police leadership has pledged not to enforce it that way.
“I think we have solid leadership right now on the police force. I think we have had reassurances that this would not be enforced as read,” McMillan said, but added that “it’s bad policy to have something that reads that we’re targeting people because of their age.”
He urged the council to return to the “holistic approach” it had embraced several years ago.
“Instead of speaking about kids as if they’re problems, as if they’re a nuisance, we got on the road to actually talking about the resources that are available for youth in Fayetteville,” he said.
Hondros, who also opposed the curfew last year, did not speak Monday but told CityView afterward that his position “hasn’t changed.”
Supporters Say the Curfew Improves Safety
Mayor Mitch Colvin and Councilmembers Derrick Thompson and D.J. Haire defended the ordinance during a special meeting on June 4, saying fears of discriminatory enforcement have not materialized.
Haire said residents warned the curfew and the city’s ShotSpotter gunshot detection system would lead to harassment, but “we haven’t received any of those concerns that were spoken about, that were highlighted with hot fire, as if some folk were getting ready to be arrested and thrown in jail.”
He said many of his constituents—including “young dads”—support the curfew.
Thompson pointed to police data presented earlier this year, saying it contradicts critics’ claims.
“I’m getting frustrated with the innuendos, and the data doesn’t prove what you’re trying to state,” he said. “We need to move forward and do what’s best for our community.”
Colvin accused outside groups of stoking fear.
“The fear mongering that is constantly done by the groups that come in to tell us that we don’t need ShotSpotter, you don’t need school police resource officers, you don’t need protection in your communities—always come from outside the communities, and never from within the communities, that are experiencing that,” Colvin said.
Police Chief Roberto Bryan presented first‑quarter 2026 data in May showing more interactions with juveniles but fewer charges compared to the same period in 2025.
Incidents involving weapons, assaults, and drugs increased, while burglaries, robberies, shoplifting, car thefts, and vandalism decreased.
Officers made 13 field contacts with juveniles during curfew hours and charged juveniles in five cases.
Bryan noted that not all interactions were “negative.”
Government reporter Rachel Heimann Mercader can be reached at rheimann@cityviewnc.com or 910-988-8045.
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