TAMPA, Fla. — As Tampa city leaders move forward with implementing a curfew for minors under 16, they're inviting the community to join in on the conversation.
The city hosted a panel discussion at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Howard W. Blake High School, where families and youth community leaders learned more about the proposed citywide ordinance before the Tampa city council decides on it next week.
While some are for this curfew being in place, many don't know if it's a true solution to the continued violence in the city and say it needs to be more thought out.
"I think the curfew should be used as a tool," Robin Lockett said when she stepped up to the microphone when the panel took questions.
The East Tampa native urged the council not to vote on the curfew next Thursday, saying they should look at considering a curfew for the entire county.
"Open it up to the entire county and talk through how it's going to look if we're really serious about this and about making change. I urge council not to vote on this. It's too big for them. They need to really be thoughtful and think about how they move forward," Lockett said.
Her comments were one of many in the crowd, proving that the search to find the right solution isn't easy.
"This is a community concern and it will take us all working together to create a community solution," Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said.
He was one of several leaders working through what a curfew for teens would look like in the city. Tuesday night they aimed to answer questions from the community.
"The actual intent of the curfew ordinance is just another tool for our community to promote the safety and wellbeing of children and families. It's intended to be more of a deterrent and educational tool than anything else," Bercaw said.
The curfew proposed by Tampa City Council already passed its first reading. It would bar kids 16 and under from being out in public places without adult supervision between 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and 12:01-6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday with some exceptions.
The idea was presented days after the deadly Ybor City shooting that killed two and injured 16.
"Harrison Boonstoppel is my brother. My twin was killed in the Ybor City shooting on October 29th," Ava Boonstoppel said with her mother by her side at the microphone.
She and her parents support a curfew if it would help prevent violence, but want to know how it would be enforced and how it would prevent something like the Ybor City tragedy.
"I think there's a longer-term solution and a shorter-term solution. If a curfew can help in the short term to fix some of this excessive violence, I'm in favor of it. Harrison is my son. If a curfew would've helped, I'm definitely in favor of it," Karel Boonstoppel said from the audience.
"We did find that in Atlanta, a study showed curfew laws were effective at reducing crime and teen victimization. In Miami Dade County, it served primarily as a deterrent effect," Bercaw said.
While people took notes on the exemptions and recorded the panel, there were more questions left than answers.
"How are we going to implement this? What are we going to do when we find little Johnny and Suzie late at night? Are we going to take them home to see if the parents are on drugs or struggling with mental health? Are we going to try and help the family as a whole,'" Bishop Michelle B. Patty said.