Hoping to curb violence after a spate of deadly summer shootings, Paterson, NJ officials are considering an unusual ordinance that would prevent people of all ages from gathering outside in public late at night, reports the Associated Press.
A 29-year-old Paterson man was shot and killed in his car last week in the latest chapter of a tit-for-tat battle between rival groups, according to police who decline to describe them as gangs. The battle has generated community fear, even though overall shootings and violence remain low by historical standards.
Paterson is the state's third-largest city at 147,000 people, has had six homicides and 30 shootings this year, according to city data. That compares with 13 homicides and 37 shootings for the same period of 2008.
The curfew would last for two months and bar people from loitering outside from midnight to 7 a.m. Violators would face up to a $2,000 fine and 90 days in jail.
If the City Council passes it Sept. 1, a second vote and a public hearing are needed for it to take effect.
The measure could be the nation's first citywide, non-emergency curfew to include adults and the American Civil Liberties Union and others say the move will be unconstitutional.
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