LEWISTON — The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve an earlier weekend curfew for minors that officials hope can help address the recent prevalence of youth gun violence.

It was the first of two readings on the issue.

The new hours are 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, two hours earlier than the midnight start.

Some argued the change will only strain relationships between youth and police that the community is trying to strengthen.

Councilor Eryn Soule-Leclair said she presented the proposal after police recently used the ordinance to stop two juveniles out after curfew and found guns on them. She said it’s not the answer to youth gun violence in the city but could be one of many actions by the city to help quell the issue.

Police Chief David St. Pierre said the department supports the earlier curfew, but that it’s “a very minor change” — a four-hour difference overall.

He said based on data pulled together from staff, police have charged 36 curfew violations since 2020. He said while the department doesn’t often charge a violation, they use the ordinance to stop and talk to minors, or bring them home and talk to a parent.

City ordinance violations come with a civil summons issued to the juvenile’s parent or guardian, and a fine is imposed. According to the ordinance language, exemptions are in place if a minor is accompanied by their parent, in the course of their employment, participating in a school activity, and more.

Former Councilor Alicia Rea said she understood the reason for the proposal, but argued that curfews have been shown to be ineffective at stopping juvenile crime, and in some cases have worsened violence during non-curfew hours. She said she’s concerned that the earlier curfew will increase negative interactions between police and youth, further fostering youth mistrust in police.

Wendy McPike, who owns multiple properties in the downtown Tree Street neighborhood, said she has cameras on multiple properties and she sees “over and over, lots of youth” out in early morning hours.

“Would I want to stay out until midnight when I was 17? Yes,” she said. “But for what’s happening right now, it’s more likely to prevent the bad things that are happening.”

Councilor Josh Nagine said he remembers a time when the city had more activities for youth on weekend nights, whether it was a nightclub or youth group hosting an event, which he said the city needs more of.

But, he said, “We have to do whatever we can to prevent violence in our community. If statistics show youth are carrying firearms, which they are, for the time being it’s a stopgap we have to look at until we build a type of community that actually supports youth.”