A threatening sky shows signs of a storm, but the teenagers don’t seem to notice. Thirty minutes before the party is supposed to begin, there is a line of them snaking down North Capitol Street. They’re waiting outside Reservoir Park on this Friday night in late June for some city-sanctioned fun, a weekly summertime party thrown by D.C.’s Parks and Recreation department called Late Night Hype.
The parties started in 2021 as a way to keep 13- to 18-year-olds busy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. But in the years since, the increasingly popular events have become an antidote to another issue: “teen takeovers.”
The term seems to be ubiquitous in the District, sparking heated debates on social media, countless segments on the local news and even talking points in this year’s mayoral race. In reality, a teen takeover is an impromptu social gathering of young people in a public space. Often taking place in nice weather, they are most associated with the Navy Yard neighborhood of Southeast D.C. The crowded, sometimes chaotic gatherings have led to fights, robberies, assault and gunshots.
In May, four teens were arrested after a viral video showed a wild, chair-throwing brawl inside the Navy Yard Chipotle — an incident that seemed to push the hot topic to its boiling point. On Thursday, the city put new curfew laws into effect. For the rest of the summer, any resident under 18 will have to be home by 12:01 a.m. each day. The Metropolitan Police Department also has the authority to designate “extended curfew zones” where that rule could go into effect as early as 8 p.m.
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One item on the short list of exemptions: attending a recreational activity sponsored by the city.
“Teens want somewhere safe to go in their city,” Parks and Rec Director Thennie Freeman said. “D.C. doesn’t have malls. So where can young people go to hang out, to walk?
“How can we still make them feel welcome and safe?”
But safety and fun don’t always coexist, especially when there are hundreds of kids involved. Even the best parties can get out of hand.
In full swing
On this warm June evening, the theme for Late Night Hype is sports jerseys. In line, girls chat in small groups sporting carefully swooped edges and Fulani braids. Boys have their hair in twists, locs and braids. Almost every young person in line is Black or brown.
Attendees had to register for the event with proof of their age and residency. They cycle through metal detectors and bag checks at the front entrance. They pose for pictures from professional photographers.
They are greeted by music courtesy of DJ Ranger, a full-time park ranger who often gets on the decks at these events. He grabs the mic for a little housekeeping.
“This little group right here, I see y’all made a mess,” he says. “Y’all gotta clean it up. Look right underneath your feet. Pick your trash up, take your hoodie off.”
There’s a tent serving free Rita’s. Another for popcorn. One tent is a lounge, with comfortable chairs and video games. Next door there are henna tattoos. Nearby tables provide information on internships and community volunteer opportunities. Around 8 p.m., a team of beauticians offers free services — retwisting locs, cornrowing hair and preparing extensions for braids.
Freeman said that, in March, an advisory committee of local teens made a list of what they wanted to see in the parties this summer.
“I don’t think it’s really that difficult to create events for teens,” she told NOTUS. “I think if you listen to them, they’ll tell you exactly what they want.”
Event organizers said they try to “pack the schedule” for these parties, aiming to keep the kids occupied. A few small fights have occurred, they said, but nothing major.
As the party gets going, curious neighbors stand on nearby rooftops with drinks, watching. One boy steps away from the action and calls a friend on FaceTime, encouraging him to come to the next event. He says the food has been good, there are plenty of girls and lots of dancing.
Lauryn, who is being referred to by her middle name because she’s a minor, says this is not her first Late Night Hype. She also enjoys the free food and the dancing. She is still buzzing as she makes her way to the exit around 9:30, unaware that the vibe outside the party has started to turn.
Losing control
Night has fallen and it’s dark now. There are still several dozen teens lined up outside the entrance, waiting to get into the party. They inch forward, the heavy bass of DJ Ranger’s music pulsating in the air.
Suddenly, there’s an explosion.
Kids begin screaming and running. There’s another loud noise and smoke rises in the area of the line. Teens stampede the line’s barricade, looking to get out of harm’s way. Police officers begin yelling at them to move out the way, shoring up the park’s outside wall of metal barricades.
Word spreads that the noise is from fireworks, set off by a small group near the entrance. Police do not immediately find a culprit, but work to get control of the crowd. As they do so, most of the teens inside the party remain unaware of the disruption.
Each week, Parks and Rec officials try to be deliberate about how they send teens home from these events, providing shuttles to Metro stations or holding kids inside until their parent or guardian arrives. But, as the fireworks continue, there is no such order. The police shut down North Capitol Street and parents are forced to do pick-ups at least a block or two away. Some walk from their cars to the entrance, searching for their children. Freeman tries to make her voice heard over the melee, checking in with attendees.
One boy cries as volunteers try to console him. He had gotten separated from his sister in the chaos. When she shows up, tears are streaming down her face, too, and she holds his hand.
Days later, when the Parks and Rec Department posts to social media about the night, the fireworks color the comments.
One commenter chastises Parks and Rec for not addressing the incident enough, writing that organizers “ain’t reached out to a parent yet.”
One woman, who identifies herself as a resident of the area, says the event “went terribly wrong,” with teens “terrorizing the neighborhood.”
“It’s sad to see a well intentioned event go horribly awry,” she writes.
For a majority of attendees, that is not the story of the night. Most teenagers in the comments section are only concerned with where they might find more pictures of themselves.
So the parties continue. On Friday, Parks and Rec will host its largest Late Night Hype of the summer, an “all-white party” held at the Mystics arena in Southeast D.C.
“We have an obligation to have teens feel safe in their city,” Freeman said. “We know that anywhere you want to go, this is your city. You just have to behave responsibly.”
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