A limited juvenile curfew has been reinstated under a new emergency order in Washington, D.C., in the wake of recent violent "teen takeovers," Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Friday.
Bowser revealed the curfew Friday ahead of Memorial Day weekend.
The 15-day curfew is effective starting May 22 and will extend through June 6.
All youth under the age of 18 are subject to an 11 p.m. citywide curfew under the emergency order.
The directive also allows the police chief to establish designated zones subject to an 8 p.m. curfew.
The emergency action is part of the effort to prevent teen takeovers in places such as the D.C. Navy Yard neighborhood, the site of recent disorderly activity.
The new emergency order comes after the D.C. council earlier this month approved a permanent curfew law. But that legislation is not expected to go into effect until late summer.
The mayor said the District couldn’t afford another delay and pushed for the D.C. Council to pass emergency legislation.
U.S. Attorney Jeannine Pirro had also urged residents to contact District leaders and push for an immediate curfew.
Critics, on the other hand, have argued that curfews do not address the root cause of teen takeovers, citing mental health and lack of local resources.
But curfews work in a way they're supposed to, according to law enforcement authorities. In 2026 so far, the Chief of Police has designated 14 curfew zones lasting no more than three days, resulting in just seven total curfew violations within those zones.