‘Teen takeovers?’ Call them what they are: Riots

On the weekend of July 4, 2026, the City of Raleigh found it was not immune from a new type of “flash mob” on steroids — so-called “teen street takeovers.”

According to Rebecca Walker of the National Communication Association, “Flash mobs started in the United States in the summer of 2003. A magazine editor named Bill Wasik organized the very first ones in Manhattan, New York City. Hundreds of strangers used chain emails to meet up at stores like Macy’s, do a quick, silly thing, and run away fast.”

The first flash mob of approximately 100 people descended upon a Macy’s department store in New York City just to look at an expensive rug and then left. In the late 2000s, the “flash mobs” grew to where a large group of people would show up and perform a choreographed dance routine, and leave. The year 2010 and beyond, commercials were being made by big companies and sports teams would use them to pump up the crowd in the stands.  

What happened during the weekend of July 4, 2026, is a far cry from what started out as innocent fun like in 2003. Approximately 3,000 teens and young adults descended upon the Brier Creek area of Raleigh and approximately 5,000 teens and young adults then descended onto Glenwood South. Most of these youths were not there to enjoy the July 4 festivities, eat, and socialize. Instead, they were there to cause chaos and mayhem, including fistfights and shootings, on the streets of Raleigh. Police officers were assaulted and nine people were shot during the melee. Small business owners in the Glenwood South district had to send their staff home, because they feared their safety. Patrons visiting these establishments followed suit.  

The local media used the words “teen street takeover,” as if this would lessen the blow to what really happened in the downtown Raleigh nightlife district. What happened here was nothing short of a riot. The North Carolina General Statute, 14-288.2, “a public disturbance involving an assemblage of three or more persons which by disorderly and violent conduct, or the imminent threat of disorderly and violent conduct, results in injury or damage to persons or property or creates a clear and present danger of injury or damage to persons or property.”

This was a riot, not a “teen street takeover.”  

The Raleigh City Council, chief of police, and the mayor are on the same page, and that should help the citizens of Raleigh feel a little more at ease about the events that took place. A curfew is planned to be set in place this August. The brave men and women in law enforcement from several different agencies that responded and acted should be commended. Chief Boyce of the Raleigh Police Department even mentioned the idea of bag restrictions. The parents should be held accountable due to the actions by the juveniles that were committing crimes. Especially those who had, and used, firearms.  

Municipalities have the authority to impose curfews. The governor also has that power to impose curfews when there is a state of emergency. However, there is no state law that directly addresses this type of criminal behavior. Yes, there are North Carolina laws on the books for “Disorderly Conduct” and “Rioting.” The only law that is remotely close to “street takeovers” addresses the use of motor vehicles. However, there is a gap between the two laws that needs to  and should be closed.  

A potential model for North Carolina 

If the General Assembly wanted to address the gap between disorderly conduct and riot, it would be entering relatively new legislative territory. A narrowly tailored statute could focus on conduct rather than age. For example, it could prohibit: 

• Knowingly organizing, promoting, or coordinating through electronic communications a mass gathering intended to unlawfully obstruct public streets, parks, businesses, or public facilities; 

• Acting with the intent to cause substantial public disruption or interfere with emergency services or public safety; 

• Requiring an overt act in furtherance of the planned disruption, rather than punishing mere attendance or online speech; 

• Providing enhanced penalties for organizers, repeat offenders, or events resulting in injury or significant property damage. 

Such a statute would differ from existing riot laws because it would not require proof of disorderly and violent conduct, while also avoiding criminalizing peaceful assemblies by requiring proof of unlawful intent and disruptive conduct.  

North Carolina, we are better than this! Let’s stop playing word games and proactively address the problem. Or, the next time, a senseless and chaotic scene like this could end up as a murder investigation.  

“‘Teen takeovers?’ Call them what they are: Riots” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.