Latino Youth Targeted by Curfew Law in Denver

cities such as austin and san antonio have decriminalized or eliminated curfew violations - arresting youth who remain out of their homes at late hours - but denver's curfew law, which began in 1994, is still on the books.

a recent review by the denver post reported female and male latino youth, who comprise 41% of their teen population, accounted for 67% of the city's arrests. the police department asserts they target areas with "a lot of juvenile activity" and deploy extra curfew runs during cinco de mayo. 

curfew citations mandate female and male youth undergo a months-long program and can result in fines, a permanent record and consequences for immigration proceedings.

"the numbers here suggest that if you happen to be a mexican kid living in denver, then that's a crime," said councilman paul lopez, who represents the area most targeted by law enforcement. the denver post highlighted stores which include a latina girl ticketed for stopping at a convenience store on the way home from her late shift at a restaurant.

the latina youth was saving money for college, but quit the job to avoid potential encounters with the police. these culturally insensitive problems existed for years, but denver's police department made data errors (uncovered by local media) which hid the existence of racial disparities.