Curfew for anyone under 21 could be coming to Downtown Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A stricter curfew could potentially be coming to Downtown Las Vegas. After recent shootings on Fremont Street, City of Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said she is considering a nightly curfew for those under 21 years of age.

“They need to have a family member responsible for them, and not being up to no good, because we will tolerate no more, finished! Finished!” said Goodman.

Goodman said the recent gun violence has caused her to devote hours in meetings with Metro officers, city staff, and hotel partners in the downtown area to try and figure out ways to bring peace to downtown.

She said there seems to be a consensus among stakeholders that a curfew for people under 21 is worth considering.

Goodman added that the curfew would include the Fremont Street Experience, but might possibly also encompass the entire city center area.

So far, the idea is drawing mixed reviews.

We spoke with a group of 20-year-olds in town from Texas who said they are not looking to cause any trouble, and would not support a curfew.

“Me, I’m 20 years old, so it’s like, if I’m not allowed out here at a certain time, it’s like, I can’t even have fun,” said one young man on Fremont Street. “So it’s like, there’s no point in me coming out here if I have to be inside at a certain time. It’s like, I’d rather stay home if I have to do that.”

“You don’t want to make our money?” said his friend.

“We spent a lot of money to come down here,” added his other 20-year-old friend. “It’s not like we was penny-pinching. We wanted to have a good time.”

But Goodman said she feels that that safety and downtown investment dollars go hand-in-hand.

“It’s all to keep promoting that, and we want safety first,” Goodman said. “And you don’t invest here if it’s not a safe place to do so.”

Others we spoke to on Fremont said they see a stricter curfew as a positive thing.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said John Lucero from Colorado, who we met on Tuesday on Fremont Street. “I mean, I wouldn’t even bring my kids out here during the day. It’s just, to me, this is an adult place.”

As we mentioned, the discussions come after recent gun violence in downtown.

“I think the curfew would stop a lot of the crime that’s happening,” said a woman we met on Fremont.

Early morning on the Fourth of July, a person was shot after a fight took place on Fremont and 4th St. The 16-year-old will be charged as an adult, according to officials.

Additionally, just a few weeks prior on June 19, a 16-year-old suspect was arrested for shooting two victims at the Fremont Street Experience.

It’s worth noting there is already a curfew in place in the City of Las Vegas, but for those under 18. The curfew is for 10 p.m. on weeknights, and midnight on weekends.

On the Strip, the curfew is even stricter on weekends especially, at 9 p.m.

Goodman said they are still discussing what time the stricter curfew would be for those under 21 in downtown.

“It’s a grand, grand town, and we want to keep it that way,” said Goodman.

Under the proposed plans for the curfew, Goodman said youth who are observed being out late, but are being responsibly supervised by their parents, would not get ticketed. She said officers would use discretion.

Goodman said she is working on getting more police officers in uniforms and marked cars in the area, as well.