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Curfew proposal tabled by Atlanta City Council yet again | What's next

The curfew would apply to anyone 17 and younger.

ATLANTA — Atlanta City Council member Keisha Waites' proposal for a curfew for teens has, once again, been tabled.

City leaders are still considering a revised version of this proposal in light of recent crime and violence.

Waites first drew up the proposal after 12-year-old Zyion Charles was shot and killed near Atlantic Station in November. Waites' curfew proposal would apply to anyone 17 and younger.

Waites said the council tabled it last month due to the need for more crime data.

"At the end of the day, the public will drive this conversation wherever we land on this," Waites said. "I'm supportive. As long as we're having conversations about keeping people safe, I think we're going in the right direction."

Waites initially proposed a citywide curfew in November for 7 p.m. for kids 17 and younger, saying "given the recent shootings and reports in high-traffic retail spaces, this stopgap measure will save lives."

She issued a second proposal to the measure in December, moving the proposed curfew back an hour this time to 8 p.m. for all kids 16 and younger. She said that it can extend to 9 p.m. on weekends when daylight saving time is back during the spring and summer. 

RELATED: Atlanta teen curfew | City officials consider another proposal

She said at the time the focus on a citywide curfew for unsupervised teens ages 16 and younger is to help curb violence involving young people by putting a stop to large gatherings.

Although both of Waites' proposals got tabled, Fulton County's Board of Commissioners approved a new 8 p.m. curfew for teens 16 and younger on Feb. 2.

That ordinance will not have a wide impact, however - it only applies to the roughly one-and-a-half square miles of unincorporated Fulton County - but the Board believes it could serve as a model for the 15 cities within the county.

RELATED: Fulton County government approves new curfew for teens 16 and under

Waites also said she's hoping for more community support throughout Atlanta in order to get it passed. The public can weigh in to help her push the proposal forward.

The council is expected to discuss this again in a few weeks.

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