Cierra Lemott 
As we progress through the summer, it has almost become an expectation to see negative headlines in the news, especially regarding what news outlets have dubbed as the “teen takeover.”
After another warm weekend, another teen takeover happened in the South Loop.
On Sunday, dozens of youth were arrested following the looting of a 7-Eleven in the area. According to NBC Chicago, “A total of 40 people – ages 12 to 20 – were taken into custody.” The store was trashed as young people tossed stolen merchandise into the air and ran away with their arms full of goods, the news reported.
It has been reported that a 15-year-old faces a felony charge of unlawful possession of a concealed weapon, along with possession of an illegal gun accessory and a count of disorderly conduct.
A 17-year-old also faces a felony charge of unlawful possession of an automatic weapon, along with citations for possession of a high-capacity magazine, NBC reported.
Other citations mentioned include criminal trespassing, obstructing identification, resisting arrest, and curfew violations, police said.
“Honestly, I’d rather them be temporarily locked up than dead,” said Shamia Johnson, a sophomore at FAMU. “The children are our future. We want to steer them away from the wrong path while showing them life rewards when striving to be your best.”
As unfortunate as it is to see youth being taken into custody, maybe this will be the thing to wake teens up and make them see how their actions have consequences.
“The youth nowadays seem more reckless and unleashed than generations prior,” said Sebastian Hall, a Roseland resident. “With acts like this, it’s only going to spawn more negative connotations towards teens and young adults creating more restrictions and guidelines that hinder the younger people from being as freely available to go out and have fun like we used to.”
Hopefully, these arrests will serve as a lesson to youth in the city that doing things like looting and causing trouble will result in negative consequences. I hope that there will be less and less of these “teen takeovers” and more positive news regarding Chicago’s youth.
By Cierra Lemott, Senior, Columbia College Chicago
Instagram: @cece.kodak / @kodakscamera / X: @LemottCierra
True Star Media’s content is made possible thanks to donors like you. To support the voice and perspective of your youth, donate at truestarmedia.org/donate.
