Dupage Policy Journal

Treasures Naperville shared challenges as Downton Naperville faced a teen flash mob, one of several such incidents that have played out in recent weeks.

The business painted a vivid picture of the strain on them as they grappled with a range of issues, including vandalism, limited police presence and a notable drop in revenue due to parking area closures and property damage.

“This weekend has been really challenging,” Treasures Naperville said on Facebook.“Long nights at the shop due to minimal amounts of law and order in Naperville. The police were stretched way too thin. Kids jumping on cars. Our back door window was smashed in. Broken glass all around the shop from bottles thrown about. Closure of parking areas during the day that led to less revenue.The window at the front door of bd’s mongolian grill broken. I hate to be a downer but I didnt sign up for this.”

Such teen mob takeovers initially started popping up in Chicago back in April and have been mirrored in suburban communities. The comments from Treasures Naperville came a week after a group of approximately 150 teenagers descended upon downtown Naperville in a tumultuous gathering, prompting discussions about the potential implementation of a teen curfew as authorities grapple with crowd management. The incident, which led to an increased police presence, has raised questions about whether it was spontaneous or orchestrated, amid concerns of similar “teen takeovers” witnessed in Chicago and other areas.

According to the Chicago Tribune, in that incident police issued citations to pedestrians on the streets and arrested one individual, Rueben Christione Frield, who allegedly resisted arrest, leading to minor injuries for an officer attempting to detain him.

Other suburban areas have been experiencing the same issues. In May, Tinley Park faced a disruptive “flash mob” incident involving over 400 teenagers at a Tinley Park carnival leading to the cancellation of a day of carnival events. The teenagers, responding to a social media call, engaged in fights and created chaos, leading to five citations for public fighting and an injured police officer, prompting officials to consider implementing measures like bag checks and defined event perimeters for future large events, NBC Chicago reported.