Well, good evening, everyone.

We would like to call our special meeting, Monday, September 18th special meeting to order.

We welcome all of you who are joining us in the audience, those who joined us remotely.

At this time, we will have the invocation, ask that you please stand for the prayer.

We'll ask the councilwoman, uh Breton McNair would give us the prayer immediately following.

If we could repeat the Pledge of Allegiance together.

Because you are our shepherd, our protector, our defender.

We desire to share some of our needs with you.

Listen to each of our hearts as we silently share our most private and personal needs.

Touch each person in this room that we might come to a decision that will support our entire city, not just our city, but the entire world may see us as an example.

And Father, we give you praise, we give you honor in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Council, at this time, as we move forward, uh, we have the approval of the agenda.

If we could have a motion to approve, we'll use our approval, Mayor.

All right.

So it's a motion by Councilmember Hare, seconded by Councilmember Thompson and Council.

Going forward, we'll we'll use the uh the um pads for the vote uh request.

All right, there's a motion any discussion on the motion.

All right, Council look to you for action on approval of the agenda.

Ma'am.

All right.

Madam Clerk, that is unanimous by those here as well as Councilmember Dawkins online.

Uh, motion carries 10 0.

Uh so as we move to the next item, we thank those who have joined us.

Uh, it was a bit of uh uh confusion last week.

Uh I understand uh in terms of what tonight's meeting will entail.

Uh tonight, we set aside a special meeting to to review the youth protection ordinance uh as presented or proposed youth protection ordinance.

Tonight we set aside a special meeting to review the youth protection ordinance as presented or proposed youth protection ordinance.

We wanted this item to be in and of itself on the agenda without any other items so that we could spend the amount of time we need to work through any of the details and concerns that we've heard.

If that wasn't clear, it is my apologies that that that was conveyed that way.

But we felt that it was necessary to have the public hearing once a final version uh is passed, if it is if it is passed and presented to the public so that you can speak favorably or against.

And so with that being said, I thank you for your understanding, and I'll turn it over to Mr.

Manager for the next item.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, Chief Braden, if you would come forward.

He has a brief presentation, and is um toward the end of the presentation, he also um has the ordinance, proposed ordinance framed for further counsel discussion and direction.

Good evening, Chief.

Good evening, Mayor, Council.

Uh, as we go over the actual PowerPoint proposal, I'd like to pass these uh this folder around for the council to review uh uh reference to some things that are pertinent to the conversation tonight.

So curfews.

Uh as I spoke previously about the proposed curfew, it it is that in general, a proposal for consideration as a way to deal with some of the problems we're experiencing as a city as it relates to youth and violent crime.

Uh we understand that this is in the early phases of what a proposal should be, and we're trying to craft that or lay that out for the council so they have a good understanding of that.

I've attended multiple meetings over the past several uh two weeks uh where there's been discussion.

I want to address some of the misconceptions and misunderstandings about the proposed curfew as it sits as it was presented.

So, in general, a quick overview of the curfews.

I I think it's important to outline and uh define what is a juvenile.

Who is a juvenile?

North Carolina law defines a juvenile as any person under the age of 18 who is not married, emancipated, or in the military.

However, the juvenile court only has jurisdiction over juveniles who are alleged to be delinquent or undisciplined.

As it pertains to uh curfew laws, you know, curfew ordinances have been around for well over a century.

Curfews are first used to curb the actions of young people in Omaha in 1880.

They have been in effect for over decades in many municipalities, including some of our larger cities, such as Chicago, Philadelphia, LA, St.

Louis, and San Francisco.

If you look uh to the diagram I have there of you know the progression of a child from a newborn to an adolescent.

I use this to depict and give us a reference as I discuss the next item uh as it relates to juveniles or children.

Okay.

I believe that if I was out at two o'clock in the morning and I was to come across across a three-year-old wandering in a parking lot, everybody in this room would expect that I, as a police officer, would get out and ensure the safety of that well and well-being of that child.

I don't think anyone would argue that.

I think everyone would agree if that was a four-year-old child, they'd expect the same response from their police force.

A four-year-old, a five-year-old, a six-year-old.