Unequal enforcement of the current curfew law is blatant age, race, and social-class discrimination that must be abolished (“Kids’ Night Out,” 10/24).

Within the past year, curfew violations have plummeted in D.C. Yet should there even be such a violation? Creating a curfew for minors takes away a basic freedom. And enforcing a curfew only in poor, minority neighborhoods takes away a basic freedom and human decency.

Police already harass the parents of the children in these areas, and now the kids have to face harassment themselves. The actions that police take create a hatred toward authority. The police are supposed to be there to serve and protect, but, rather, these individuals face police who harass and disrespect. The kids know that the harassment is because they are a minority in a poor neighborhood—not because they are out past bedtime.

Chevy Chase, Md.