After a series of recent "flash mobs" of hundreds of young people spontaneously gathering in downtown Philadelphia, city officials are looking at ways of reducing the incidents and the potentially dangerous conditions they create.
"On Wednesday, the police here said that they had had enough. They announced plans to step up enforcement of a curfew already on the books, and to tighten it if there is another incident.
They added that they planned to hold parents legally responsible for their children's actions. They are also considering making free transit passes for students invalid after 4 p.m., instead of 7 p.m., to limit teenagers' ability to ride downtown.
'This is bad decision making by a small group of young people who are doing silly but dangerous stuff,' Mayor Michael A. Nutter said in an interview Wednesday."
A few fights broke out during the recent mobs, which officials view as an indication of the potential threat of such gatherings.
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