The videos are becoming familiar.
Large groups of young people gathering. Fights breaking out. Chaos in public spaces across Washington.
What some are calling “teen takeovers” has quickly become one of the most talked-about issues in the city.
And like many residents, I’ve felt the frustration.
But more than that, I’ve felt concern.
Because at some point, we have to stop asking, “What’s wrong with these kids?” and start asking, “What are they learning from the world around them?”
These incidents aren’t isolated anymore.
They’re part of a pattern, groups forming without structure, conflicts escalating quickly, and a growing disregard for shared public spaces and for each other.
This isn’t just about enforcement.
It’s about culture. It’s about expectations. It’s about what young people are absorbing every day.
Young people don’t grow up in a vacuum.
They watch how adults behave.
They watch how rules are enforced.
They watch what happens when people do the wrong thing.
And from that, they form their understanding of how the world works.
If consequences feel inconsistent, if responsibility looks optional, if accountability isn’t clear, that doesn’t stay theoretical.
It shows up in behavior.
Part of the challenge is that the message coming from leadership hasn’t been consistent, and people can see it.
We’ve seen back-and-forth between the D.C. Council and the mayor on youth curfews, shifting approaches to housing obligations, and now new debates around utility shutoffs.
These are serious issues, and they deserve serious discussion. But from the outside, it can feel like the city is still deciding where the boundaries are, and whether they will be enforced consistently.
For young people especially, that matters.
Because when expectations feel unclear and accountability looks uneven, it sends a message, even if that is not the intention.
At the same time, we also have to be honest about something else: many young people in this city are navigating real challenges.
Some are dealing with a lack of structure after school, limited access to transportation, unmet mental health needs, unstable home environments, and too few pathways that connect them to purpose, responsibility, and opportunity.
Ignoring those realities would be a mistake.
That is why this conversation cannot be reduced to being either “tough” or “soft.”
Young people need support.
They need guidance.
They need opportunity.
And they also need accountability.
I’ve seen what happens when we get this right.
Through our work with young people — including a summer program engaging nearly 100 youth each year. I’ve spent time with young people who didn’t always have structure or guidance.
And I’ve watched them change.
Not because we made things easier, but because we expected more.
We gave them structure, responsibility, and real opportunities. They worked with local businesses, learned how to manage conflict, and were exposed to financial literacy and entrepreneurship.
And something powerful happens when young people are given both support and expectation.
They rise.
They carry themselves differently.
They make better decisions.
They begin to see a future for themselves.
That’s why I know this:
Our youth are not the problem.
But if we continue sending mixed signals about what matters, if we fail to provide real support while also failing to enforce clear expectations, we should not be surprised by what we’re seeing now.
We do not need extreme responses.
We need balanced ones: engaging young people directly, expanding structured opportunities, supporting families, improving access to mental health care and transportation, and making accountability clear, consistent, and visible.
Curfews may be one tool. But they cannot be the whole strategy.
Because support without structure does not work.
And accountability without opportunity does not work either.
This is about more than public safety.
It’s about what kind of adults we are helping shape, and what kind of city we are becoming.
Washington is full of good people. Good families. Good kids.
But right now, something feels off.
And if we don’t address it honestly, if we don’t connect the dots between behavior, support, policy, and accountability, we’re going to keep seeing the same scenes play out again and again.
We owe our young people more than lowered expectations.
We owe them structure.
We owe them guidance.
And yes, we owe them accountability.
Because that’s what prepares them for the future.
Anwar Saleem is executive director of H Street Main Street and works directly with youth and businesses in Washington, D.C.