PHILADELPHIA—Yesterday, a group of 10 Philadelphia business organizations signed a letter, alongside the Institute for Justice (IJ), calling on Philadelphia City Council to recall an expanded business curfew ordinance. If the ordinance is not recalled by Thursday, it will automatically go into law.
The letter urges the city council to recall the expanded curfew ordinance, Bill No. 250292, because, “this blanket curfew will threaten hundreds of small businesses and prevent our law-abiding nighttime neighbors—including late night hospital workers, firefighters, janitorial staff and other essential workers that keep our city running—from accessing food, medicine, and other essentials, after 11 p.m.” In addition to IJ, the letter is signed by the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, the Germantown United CDC, Frankford Kensington Development Council, Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, SoLo Germantown Civic Association, Latino Food Truck Association, Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, Block Captains Committee of Nicetown, Philly Office Retail, and 5th Square Advocacy.
“While the goal of reducing crime in Kensington, Nicetown and other neighborhoods is noble, this is not the way to do it,” said IJ Cities Work Director Jennifer McDonald. “This ordinance was rushed with little community input. Businesses and residents alike have made their voices heard that a blanket curfew would do more harm than good in their communities.”
In addition to opposition from the business community, more than 200 Philadelphia residents have sent letters to city council urging the recall of the ordinance. IJ has also worked with individual businesses, including Alta Cocina Food Truck and Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, to speak out against the ordinance.
“City council needs to come out here and put their feet on the ground so when they come up with a bill, it can be feasible for the community to actually implement,” said Eric an early-morning shift worker who will be impacted by the curfew.
The curfew bill, passed by the city council in June, would impose an 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew on businesses that sell goods to customers in the 7th, 8th, and parts of the 1st city council districts. The ordinance would not impact restaurants with liquor licenses, gas stations, or those serving exclusively from a drive-thru window. However, convenience stores, takeout restaurants, mobile vendors, and others would be forced to close during these hours. Businesses that violate the curfew would receive fines of $1,000 per violation.
Philadelphia already has more narrowly targeted curfews in place elsewhere in the city. This bill would expand the city’s existing business curfew coverage by more than 500 percent. Thirteen percent of the city’s workforce works nighttime jobs, many of whom will be impacted by the legislation and unable to pick up food and essentials before their shifts. And for North Philadelphians who work early-morning shifts, their 5 a.m. cup of coffee during their commute could soon be illegal.
Philadelphia Police have also raised concerns about the scope of the new curfew. Deputy Police Commissioner Frances Healy said in May, when the ordinance was being considered, it would “likely result in inconsistent or uneven enforcement,” because the department, “continues to operate under constrained staffing and resource conditions.”