On September 22, 2013, Shaina Harris, 16, received permission from her mother, Linda Richardson, to go to Burger King. Her walk time to Burger King had passed 10 p.m., which violated her city's curfew. Shaina received a summons for her violation and was taken to court. Innocent behavior like getting a milkshake with your mother's permission shouldn't be frowned upon. It also shouldn't result in punishment like the one Shaina received. His mother, Ms Richardson, said: "It is my right as a parent to tell my child when to come home, not the government's." » (Cowen, 2013). Mrs. Richardson indeed has the right, as the mother of her child, to reprimand her daughter and give her permission to leave the house. The government's position is not to impose its authority on young adolescents. Today, law enforcement criminalizes innocent activities due to curfews imposed in their area. As in Shaina's case, she had a destination in mind. Many young teenagers go out after 10 p.m. are only trying to get home or have a place of interest in mind. There should be no automatic negative presumption regarding a teenager being out after 10 p.m. Teenagers should not be labeled if they have not caused any problems. Curfew laws create these labels on young adolescents and demean those who are innocent. Curfew laws discriminate against young adolescents who have done nothing wrong and pose no threat to the community. Any teenager like me can indulge in one of many innocent activities and end up in a lot of trouble because of the curfew. Innocent teenagers will no longer be innocent because they were approached by police officers while walking home with friends. Then, being forced to be driven home in a police car can create a negative community... middle of paper... a safer, happier, thriving community. Works Cited Blackford, L. (1997, June 16). Retrieved June 6, 2014, from Village Life: http://www.villagelife.org/news/archives/6-16-97_teenscurfew.htmlCowen, R. (March 8, 2013). "ACLU sues Wanaque over teen curfew". The record. Enfinger, E. (1993). 8 reasons to oppose a statewide curfew law for teens. Orlando Sentinel. McClatchy. (2013). Avalon Curfew/Not the answer. TribuneBusinessNews. Schukat, A. (2006, winter). A (very) brief history of youth rights. Retrieved June 5, 2014, from SIRS: http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=S678346-0-6584&artno=0000242096&type=ART Wagner, JF (September 12, 2013). Retrieved June 6, 2014 from the Baltimore Sun: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-09-12/news/bs-md-ci-baltimore-curfew-questioned-20130911_1_curfew-police-union-police-commissioner -anthony -w