The City of Columbia is announcing a permanent Unaccompanied Minors Policy for Finlay Park as part of its ongoing efforts to maintain a safe, welcoming, and family-friendly environment for residents and visitors.
Beginning in May, the City received several intelligence reports suggesting a possible “teen takeover” at several Finlay Park events. In response, the City implemented a temporary policy requiring juveniles to be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult after 5:00 p.m. until park closing during these events. This precautionary measure was enacted out of an abundance of caution to protect park visitors and maintain a safe atmosphere.
Since the implementation of the temporary policy, City officials report there have been no complaints or incidents related to teen takeovers within Finlay Park. Additionally, no other takeover events have occurred despite recent reports promoting such gatherings. There was no such intelligence prior to the June 20th Juneteenth events and concert, demonstrating that these aggressive teen takeover incidents are occurring without forewarning in our community. It is important to note that similar teen takeover incidents have occurred at community events across the nation, creating challenges for municipalities and public safety agencies alike.
Based on the success of the temporary measure, the City has decided to make the policy permanent. Under the policy, any person seventeen (17) years of age or younger must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult twenty-one (21) years of age or older to enter or remain in Finlay Park after 5:00 p.m., seven days a week. The policy also establishes supervision requirements for chaperones and provides exemptions for approved events, work related or organized activities, and permitted group functions.
City Manager Teresa Wilson, Columbia Police Chief W.H. “Skip” Holbrook, and other City officials provided a media briefing regarding the incident that occurred during the City’s Juneteenth Celebration at Finlay Park. Officials discussed the facts surrounding the incident, public safety measures implemented during the event, and the City’s response moving forward.
Efforts are ongoing to ensure public spaces and community events remain safe, family-friendly, and enjoyable for all attendees.
Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook stated, “I am frustrated and disappointed that this celebrated Juneteenth community event was disrupted by several groups of young people engaged in fights and disruptive behavior. This is not who we are as a community, and we must all share in the responsibility of ensuring that something like this never happens again.”
City Manager Teresa Wilson added that the organizers of the SC Juneteenth Freedom Fest, Ms. Tina Torres and Mr. Jamal Bradley, did a phenomenal job in organizing the event and should be commended for their efforts. Further, the City Manager stated, “I still believe in the good within our children and young people, however it pains me to see the behaviors and acts of a few overshadow the positive, empowering actions of our youth who are making a difference. There will be no toleration for these takeover incidents in our community.”
Watch the full press briefing here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MPpTvjlhPuhpHLFI_6ZlrhJFA914lYF9/view
Unaccompanied minor policy: UNACCOMPANIED MINORS POLICY