Philadelphia has been experiencing violent "flash mobs" since last year. Which means groups of teens have been getting together, apparently via social media, and wreaking havoc in the central business district and South Street area.
They have been pulling various stunts such as robbing stores en masse, running by and stealing items off of sidewalk cafe tables, and randomly attacking unsuspecting passers-by.
It finally came to a head a couple of weeks ago when there were five attacks in one day. The mayor and police chief said, "enough," and announced the strict enforcement of the curfew.
They received a lot of criticism, of course; mostly because the flash mobs generally happened in the afternoon and early evening--before curfew hours. But I think the main idea--besides a show of force--was to get parents to start paying attention to the whereabouts of their kids, regardless if they are "good" or not.
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