Detroit’s Downtown ‘Teen Takeovers’ Prompt Curfews & Increased Patrols

Detroit police added more officers to downtown streets and will hit parents with $250 to $500 fines if their kids break curfew. This comes after hundreds of teenagers swarmed the city center on April 4. Two weeks before that, on March 21, nearly 300 teens appeared during spring break's first day.

Shop owners are worried. Lekeisha Williams runs Central Kitchen & Bar as assistant general manager, and she's watched the police numbers grow to sizes she's never witnessed.

"It took a turn for me because I didn't understand. I don't think I've seen Detroit police or DPD have to be out here so much and navigate the streets as much as they have to at this point," Williams told CBS Detroit.

Nobody got hurt on April 4, but Williams fears what might happen when kids carry guns.

"I think my biggest concern is that so many teens nowadays and younger people have access to legal weapons, and it's scary," Williams said.

Mayor Mary Sheffield spoke after Monday's press conference. She wants police, community groups, and other partners to build places where kids can hang out without trouble.

"I think we're all coming together, community, law enforcement, all stakeholders, to make sure that we are creating safe spaces for our young people, that we have a level of rental responsibility, enforcing our curfew, but also more of a holistic and comprehensive plan on how we address the uptick that we oftentimes see around the summertime," Sheffield said.

Groups that work to stop violence promised to grow their sports programs. They want to give teens something to do when the weather gets warm. Posts on social media hint that more meetups could happen soon.

Police Chief Todd Bettison planned to share details Tuesday, but officials called it off. Williams and her team are trying to make sure customers don't feel afraid.

"The only thing I'm looking to do right now, along with my staff and our business, is just to make sure that everybody feels comfortable and safe when they're coming to visit our establishment," Williams said.