NEWSWORKS TONIGHT

Philadelphia is tightening its curfew and warning parents to keep track of their children--or risk fines.

Mayor Michael Nutter and other city officials rolled out a plan Monday to prevent future "flash mobs" and punish those caught terrorizing the streets.

Nutter says the violence by a small number of reckless teenagers has damaged Philadelphia and its citizens. And he says he's tired of it.

"I don't care what your economic status is in life, you do not have a right to beat somebody's a-- on the street. None," said the mayor.

Temporarily, curfews have been bumped up to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays for those younger than 18, but only in targeted zones in Center City and University City.

Nutter is calling out parents.

"They are your children! You need to raise them and you are responsible for them," he said Monday. "When you come to pick up your son or daughter who has broken the curfew, you will be issued on the first occasion a warning. For succeeding violations, fines can increase up to $500.

"If you don't even bother to pick up your child we are immediately calling the Department of Human Services and you can then be taken to court for other violations including neglect of your child," he said.

Throughout the rest of the city, the curfew will remain 10 p.m. for children younger than 13 and midnight for 13- to 18-year-olds.

To give kids something constructive to do on weekend nights, the city will expand recreation center hours.

The alternative is prosecution

City District Attorney Seth Williams says if prevention fails, he will prosecute mob participants.

He says he would like to be able to punish parents.

"It's my goal to work with the Pennsylvania state legislature and the District Attorneys Association to introduce legislation that will allow us to hold parents criminally responsible when their children violate curfew and commit another act of violence," Williams said.

Sandra Ray stood outside Monday in the hot sun listening to the plan. Her nephew was shot and killed in early July. She's unhappy that reports of his death were overshadowed by news of a flash mob.

"Where you think some of these kids are comin' from? The neighborhoods around surrounding. We need to communicate and not just focus on Center City. I think we need to have a little better communication if they want to see some of these teenagers not come down and harm anyone," Ray says. "We need to communicate with our churches and our neighboring communities."

Ray says she supports strong curfew enforcement.

A peaceable flash mob

Minutes after the press conference ended, 18-year-old Maria Clark from Upper Darby and about a dozen others sat down to read feet from where the mayor and other city officials laid out their plan.

"We're out here reading books in silence. We're basically being the anti-violence flash mob. We're showing people that we do do things (that are) positive. That there are young people out here doing things with their life. Not everybody's violent," Clark says. "As far as the flash mobs? It's a cry for attention. That's all they want."

Clark, who was brought up by an aunt and uncle, is headed to college to study to be a detective.