Curfew proposed to curb gang activity

YAKIMA, Wash. -- The city of Yakima's legal staff is looking into the prospect of an all-ages curfew for gang-heavy neighborhoods at the request of Council-man Micah Cawley.

Cawley said Thursday he hopes to hear back from city staff in time to discuss the curfew issue at the council's first meeting in July.

"With the summer coming, (gang) activity heats up," he said.

What Cawley has in mind would be limited to specific neighborhoods and would end on a specified date. It would bar people from being out on the streets of those neighborhoods after a certain hour.

"I would think probably
9 o'clock, or something a little bit earlier," Cawley said.

It's unclear what ability the city has to set such a curfew, a topic that is often legally tricky because of civil-liberties concerns. City Attorney Jeff Cutter did not return a call Thursday afternoon seeking comment for this story.

Three people have been shot in gang-related incidents this month and there have been numerous reports of shots fired, a situation Cawley said constitutes an emergency.

"You kind of feel powerless," he said. "So if there's something we can do, we've got to be doing it."

A previous curfew proposal that would have barred juveniles from streets citywide failed to gain traction with the City Council in April. This one would be different in that it would apply regardless of age and it would be targeted at specific neighborhoods.