Over the summer, Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield made time to listen to some of her youngest and perhaps rowdiest citizens.
For months, teenagers in Detroit, Michigan, and several other U.S. cities have hosted spontaneous teen gatherings in public spaces. The events gained the name “teen takeovers.” Many of these gatherings started out fun, but some became dangerous and violent.
In May, a 14-year-old was shot and wounded in a fight with other teens during a “takeover” in downtown Detroit. In Chicago, Illinois, teens participating in such a gathering caused damage to several vehicles in the Hyde Park neighborhood.
What’s a city leader to do? Many respond by arresting teenagers, fining parents, and shutting down gathering events. But Detroit’s mayor is taking a different approach.
Instead of pushing for harsher police response, imposing curfews, or closing parks, Sheffield visited teens at schools. She asked about what they needed in the city. She also created an office specifically for youth affairs and launched a youth advisory board. It includes young adults and teens. The effort acknowledges that even young people feel a calling to be in community. But it also addresses right and wrong ways to meet that need for group fellowship.
The new approach for Detroit involves the creation of safer events for young people. In April, Sheffield’s office hosted “Summer Kickback.” It was a party in a public square that included music, dancing, and a live DJ. Talking with teens also inspired other ideas for recreation. The city launched a block party program, extended open hours at several recreational centers, and started a new evening basketball league.
The mayor hopes these events will serve as an alternative to the takeovers, which are attractive to young people for various reasons.
Some teenagers say spontaneous gatherings make them feel more independent. They tend to pop up in locations the young people can reach without needing a car, so they don’t have to rely on adults to transport them.
Other teens crave opportunities to connect with their friends and meet new people. Many are looking for in-person connection—not crime, violence or vandalism. But in recent years, malls and movie theatres have begun imposing curfews or requiring parental chaperones. It’s harder for youth to hang out with friends.
One young person said attending the city-sponsored event gave him a chance to catch up with people he hadn’t seen in several years.
Daveion Page, 16, organized a takeover in April that became violent. He says he didn’t intend that kind of result. “I just wanted to get out of the house, have fun, enjoy time with my family and my homeboys and my homegirls too,” he says. Daveion says safe places for young people to gather, sponsored by the city, would help.
Mayor Sheffield is attempting to provide just that.
Why? Being willing to listen and explore can lead to creative solutions even for serious problems.
