East St. Louis’ mayor has put a strict curfew in place for teens on the heels of four killings earlier this week.
Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. says police will arrest teenagers 17 and younger who are NOT in school between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Teens younger than 18 also will be arrested if they’re out later than 10 p.m.
Parks says he knows some people will consider the curfews too strict, but he wants to keep the city from losing more young people.
“For the right here right now what we’re dealing with is an almost war-like situation and we have to deal with a war-like situation like we’re at war, and that is to get individuals out of the environment where they can be hurt," Parks said.
Five people were shot outside a nightclub early Sunday morning, three of whom died.
Also, an 18-year-old was stabbed to death over the weekend, while another teen was injured in a drive-by shooting as he mowed the lawn.
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