Clinton Supports Curfews To Cut Youth Crime

By Wolf Blitzer/CNN

NEW ORLEANS (May 30) -- It was one of those audiences that brings out the preacher in Bill Clinton, and preaching he did today in New Orleans when he addressed a predominantly African American church convention.

It was the same group he addressed in Memphis in 1993 for what was widely seen as one of his most effective speeches. His latest message for America's youth: cities should use curfews as a tool in fighting crime (160K WAV sound).

"They must also know that it's a dangerous world out there and these rules are being set by people who love them and care about them and desperately want them to have good lives," Clinton said (128K WAV sound).

The audience was downight friendly. Bishop Chandler Owens drew a laugh from the president when he said Clinton was just born white (128K WAV sound). "Inside, he's a brother," Owens said.

The president and his aides believe his crime record -- putting more cops on the street, supporting school uniforms, banning juveniles from having handguns -- has scored politically. They say he's neutralized what's traditionally been a Republican issue. White House officials claim Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole has been forced to play "catch up."

But Republicans see the crime issue differently. "People's personal safety is at stake and this administration tries to substitute flakery for substance," said Repubican National Chairman Haley Barbour (128K WAV sound).

Taking the campaign on the road, the Clinton team is trying to get back on track following setbacks this week on the issue of the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit and the Whitewater verdicts in Little Rock.

If the president had been down in the dumps coming into this state, his enthusiastic response at his first stop no doubt lifted his spirits, at least temporarily.

On the issue at hand -- youth curfews -- New Orleans officials credit their dusk-to-dawn youth curfew with cutting juvenile crime, including a big drop in auto thefts. The local law requires youths under age 17 to be off the streets after 8 p.m. on school nights, 9 p.m. in the summer and 11 p.m. on weekends.

Teenagers who are picked up are taken to centers where they are counseled and picked up by their parents, who can face penalties. Other big cities that are enforcing youth curfews include Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Jacksonville, North Little Rock and Phoenix.

Clinton endorsed a Justice Department report that supports such curfews. Most local curfews exempt youths who are married, accompanied by an adult, going to or from work or participating in supervised events.

In recent days, Clinton has been under attack by Republican rival Robert Dole for doing too little to fight crime. Dole made crime the centerpiece of a campaign swing through Colorado and California.

While youth curfews are popular, they also can face intense judicial scrutiny. Some cities have explored the idea, but backed off when they decided they could not legally defend a curfew, based on rates of youth crime and youth victimization during night hours.

At a news conference today, though, Attorney General Janet Reno said youth curfews can be narrowly tailored to withstand legal challenges.

California Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, a supporter of youth curfews, mentioned the legal problem in his State of the State speech in January.

Wilson, who called for expanding curfews then, said San Diego's has cut crime there by "nearly a third."

"Of course, no good deed goes unpunished," Wilson said. "San Diego's now being sued for that success by the ACLU (the American Civil Liberties Union).

"If anyone ought to be sued, it's the ACLU -- for defying common sense," Wilson added. "Curfews make sense. They prevent crime before it happens. And that's always the wisest course."

"Parents are morally responsible for the behavior of their minor children. They should be legally responsible for the costs as well. Let's authorize police agencies to charge the parents of curfew violators the cost of enforcing the curfew."

This story originally appeared on CNN's "Inside Politics."

Related Sites:

AllPolitics home page

Clinton Supports Curfews To Cut Youth Crime

Related Stories:

Related Sites: