CHARLOTTE — Nearly two dozen teens were arrested after more than 200 gathered over the weekend in Romare Bearden Park in Uptown Charlotte. Police arrested 24 individuals, 23 of whom were juveniles, and cited 13 parents.
The gathering occurred as the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department enforces a curfew for children and teens.
CMPD leadership proactively brought in resources to disperse the crowd, aiming to prevent the situation from escalating into violence.
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Lieutenant Ryan Shields of CMPD’s Central Division said officers quickly realized the scale of the gathering.
“We quickly realized that we had 200-plus teens in the park,” Shields said, noting the aim was to step in early to prevent fights from turning into gunfire.
In addition to the 24 arrests, officers cited 13 parents for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Lieutenant Shields emphasized that responsibility extends beyond the children.
“It’s not just the kids responsibility; it’s the parents responsibility as well,” Shields said.
Uptown resident Venessa Bravo, who lives in a nearby apartment building, witnessed the commotion.
She described trying to take her dogs out but finding the park shut down with floodlights on.
“I tried to take my dogs out; the park was shut down, all the floodlights were on,” Bravo said.
She also saw groups of young people running, estimating “a bunch of kids started running, just a group, probably like a hundred kids were running.”
Bravo expressed disappointment with the situation. “It’s just been a little disappointing to see that it’s come to the point where we have to have all these lights,” she said.
CMPD says it is taking a zero-tolerance approach to restore a quality of life for long-time Uptown residents like Bravo, who stated, “There’s never been a point where I really kind of felt afraid to take my dogs out.”
To monitor the park, a CMPD Sky Tower equipped with blue lights and cameras is now on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Massive spotlights also illuminate the area after sundown.
Beyond Romare Bearden Park, officers are focusing on other locations in Uptown where teen gatherings occur, specifically mentioning the intersection of 5th Street and North Tryon as another hotspot they are closely watching.
The Uptown curfew requires children 12 and under to be home or with their parents after 10 p.m. Children 13 through 15 are not permitted to be out alone past 11 p.m.