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INSIDE ▼ 7 tips to ease back-to-school chaos
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PAGE 2A Friday, Aug. 14, 2026 • Vol. 26 • No. 32
thecharlotteweekly.com
@southcltweekly
Leaders discuss teen takeovers, curfews by Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
CHARLOTTE – City leaders are discussing the possibility of stricter curfews for young people in response to teen takeovers that have resulted in violence. The City of Charlotte has a Youth Protection Ordinance with curfews set at 10 p.m. for children 12 and younger and 11 p.m. for ages 13 to 15. Police Chief Estella Patterson proposes adjusting the curfew to 9 p.m. for all minors.
There are exceptions to the curfew for work, school or faith-based functions. Patterson told the Charlotte City Council on Aug. 10 that the intent is not to criminalize youth but to give the CharlotteMecklenburg Police Department a tool to intervene and keep kids from being harmed or harming others. She referenced an incident June 14 at Romare Bearden Park, where two teens, ages 15 and 18, were shot. Another incident occurred July 11 near the University City boardwalk that resulted in 12 juvenile arrests.
“I am very concerned that if we don’t get a handle on these events and what is going on, the consequences may become fatal,” Patterson said. Deputy Chief Jacquelyn Bryley said CMPD has tracked about 40 teen takeover advertisements since May. Bryley described teen takeovers as planned gatherings with no true purpose. “Some of our youth genuinely use these as opportunities to get out of the house, spend time with their friends, hang out,” Bryley said. “Unfortunately, others use this as an opportunity to meet up, plan fights,
UNITE Fundraiser rallies women against breast cancer
by Daniel Peterson Matthews Town Attorney
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See page 1B
Photos courtesy of The Pink Cupcake Walk
CMS to welcome back superintendent
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education voted today to return Dr. Crystal Hill to her role as superintendent following her temporary leave. We believe this provides the best path forward while maintaining continuity
and stability for our students, employees and families. The board did not take this action lightly. When serious concerns involving district operations and oversight are raised, the board has an obligation to investigate them thoroughly, carefully consider the findings and act in the best long-term interest of CharlotteMecklenburg Schools. The review identified issues that will require ongoing attention as it relates to leadership and operational practices. We will address these issues directly with Dr. Hill.
see TEENS, Page 3A
Attorney says punishing towns for I-77 vote violates law
Survivors & thrivers
CHARLOTTE – Crystal Hill will be able to return to her role as superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools following a school board investigation into matters involving administrative and operational oversight. The school board released the following statement Aug. 11:
settle social media disputes or oftentimes end in violence.” Bryley shared there were 431 juvenile victims of violent crime that occurred between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. Of those 431, 127 were ages 16 and 17, falling outside the current Youth Protection Ordinance, and 393 were Black or Hispanic. About 68% of the cases were gun-related assaults. Six young people have died from gun violence this year, according to Bryley.
With the review complete, our focus remains on the start of the school year. CMS has strong leadership throughout the organization, and district leaders, principals, teachers and staff have worked throughout the summer to ensure our schools are ready to welcome students on Aug. 25. We appreciate the patience of our community, families and employees throughout this process. Our students remain at the heart of every decision we make, and we are committed to providing them with a strong and successful start to the new school year.
would like to briefly report on a topic which has made some news and affects our community – the topic of legislation recently passed as part of the state budget whose sole purpose is to punish members of the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization who voted to rescind support for the toll lane project on I-77 South. This vote came after details of the toll lane project were released and then there was strong public outcry against the proposed project, including further destruction of historically AfricanAmerican neighborhoods in west Charlotte to make way for this project. Matthews is a member of that organization and has never supported the I-77 South toll lanes project; yet, is among those who, unless we change our vote of conscience now to support a project this town, again, has never supported, are targeted by this legislation to face a stiff financial penalty for failing to do so, for failing to heed the instructions of the state Legislature. My opinion on this matter is already a matter of public record, so I simply restate it tonight for the benefit of our community and for others. This legislation, in my opinion, is unconstitutional and violates federal transportation law. Over and over again, the sponsor of this bill has admitted publicly that the purpose of this legislation was to punish communities with whom certain powerful interests disagree on this topic. Legislators cannot retroactively punish legal conduct by declaring it illegal and punishing those who partook in the thenlegal conduct. It violates, again, federal transportation law that requires state and local governments to work cooperatively with one another in forming state transportation plans. Matthews, nor any of its fellow local governments in Mecklenburg County, sought this conflict. I think that’s important to remember. However, finding a resolution grounded in trust and cooperation is improbable or impossible where we are threatened in the way Matthews and other communities in Mecklenburg County have been by this legislation. To put it plainly, we are confronted by a doctrine that is simply “might is right,” of a kind that the founders of our nation saw see ATTORNEY, Page 4A