Philadelphia Business Owners Balk Against Curfew Bill

Several businesses in Philadelphia are rallying against a bill that would force them to close by 11 p.m.

The curfew, which is already affecting some businesses in the city, could soon be implemented on a larger scale.

In issuing the curfew, the city said it aims to address crime and quality of life concerns.

CBS News Philadelphia spoke with Edward Bonilla, the owner of Fifth Street Super Food Truck in Hunting Park, about the city's plans. Bonilla said he's considering shuttering his doors because his business, which typically stays open until midnight and later on weekends, is being forced to close at 11 p.m. because of the city's curfew.

"We don't make no money," Bonilla said. "I don't know what's going to happen. We don't make nothing. I don't know. Maybe one day I'm going to have to close the doors and try to leave to another city."

The curfew, which the City Council passed in March, primarily targets the Kensington area. The ordinance requires businesses such as bodegas, takeout restaurants, and food trucks to close between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Establishments with liquor licenses are not included in the curfew mandates.

Business owners and the Institute of Justice are now railing against another bill passed in June that would expand the city's curfew into other neighborhoods. The Institute for Justice shared with CBS News Philadelphia a map detailing how the curfew will extend beyond Kensington and Hunting Park into communities such as Fairhill and Germantown. 

City Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, who represents Kensington, said in a statement that the early results of the curfew in Kensington are promising. "We saw in the Kensington community that homicides went down by 80%," she said.

Mayor Cherelle Parker has not yet signed the bill that would expand the city's curfew.