Youth protection ordinance soon unveiled


**Updated**

Editor’s Note: The meeting which was tentatively scheduled for January 30, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. at the County Courthouse has now been confirmed.

At the Public Safety Committee report portion of the Henderson City Council meeting on Monday night, the Reverend Frank Sossamon reported on the progress of the Youth Protection Ordinance.

Sossamon gave a history of the formation of the committee which was created at the behest of the City Council in October of 2006. The City Council voted to form the committee after it was presented with signatures by Coble Boulevard resident Candice Cash on a petition which called for a curfew to be enacted.

Cash’s petition campaign for a youth curfew in Henderson received a great deal of media attention.

The committee has been meeting since November 1, 2006 to work on what was originally to be more traditionally called a curfew ordinance. After a few meetings, the word “curfew” evolved into “youth protection” on Council agendas at the insistence of Council member Lonnie Davis.

Sossamon told the Council that the committee has been productive in its work, and that it has a preliminary ordinance that it plans to reveal in a public forum.

The pastor of the South Henderson Pentacostal Holiness Church read the purpose statement of the preliminary Protection Ordinance to members:

“The purpose of this Youth Protection Ordinance is to protect juveniles from victimization and exposure to unlawful activity by establishing an ordinance for the protection of juveniles under the age of sixteen years in the City of Henderson. The Youth Protection Ordinance is intended to promote health, safety, and welfare of both juveniles and adults by creating an environment providing better protection and security for all concerned. The purpose is also to protect minors from improper influences and undesirable activity that occurs after the hours set forth in the Ordinance.”

Sossamon told the council that the committee had determined that minors under the age of sixteen would be affected by the ordinance. The place of restriction would be Henderson, and the hours of curfew would be 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Sunday through Saturday.

The Reverend mentioned that there are four predetermined consequences for violation of the ordinance. He did not reveal what those sanctions would be, and he was not pressed on the matter.

He went on to announce that the ordinance would be reviewed by the committee on January 24 at 8:00 a.m. in the County Administration Building Conference Room in preparation for a presentation to stakeholders which has been scheduled for January 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the County Courthouse.

In that January 30 meeting, a presentation will be made to a group of affected children and adults who will then be broken apart by age for more focused discussion.

Sossamon concluded his presentation to the Council by stating that the product of his committee was a “Henderson ordinance” and not one which was adopted from another city or state.

Cash originally submitted the City of Oxford’s curfew ordinance to the Council with her petition.

Sossamon told the council that the ordinance addresses the particular needs of Henderson.