The City of Chicago announced Thursday the formation of an Interagency Youth Engagement and Public Safety Coordination Task Force following Wednesday night’s spring break gathering in the Loop, in which an estimated 300 teenagers congregated near State and Randolph streets, required a pre-deployed police response, and resulted in eight arrests, 24 curfew citations, three hospitalizations, and — in what officials described as a “key incident” — one citation issued to a 16-year-old for riding a bicycle on the sidewalk.

“We want to be very clear,” said a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office at a 9 a.m. briefing. “The bicycle was on the sidewalk. That is not where bicycles go. Bicycles go in the street, or in a designated bike lane, and we are asking all Chicagoans, regardless of age, to please adhere to this guideline going forward.” The spokesperson was then asked about the three hospitalizations. He confirmed that investigators were “looking into it.”

The task force, which will meet for the first time next Tuesday, brings together the Chicago Police Department, Chicago Park District, CPS Office of Community Schools, the Mayor’s Office of Youth Programs, and a newly created subcommittee from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events that officials said would focus on “identifying appropriate channels for teen energy.” Asked what that meant, a department representative said she would need to follow up.

The spring break timing was not a surprise to CPD, which had pre-deployed units downtown in anticipation of crowds. Ald. Brian Hopkins, whose ward includes the affected area, said Thursday that the city had “done everything right” in its preparation and response, and called for a community conversation about “what is happening and why.” He then announced a listening session scheduled for April 14th, the Tuesday after spring break ends.

At the State and Randolph location, city crews Thursday morning were removing a section of temporary plastic barricade that CPD had used to route pedestrian traffic. A sanitation worker who declined to give his name said the cleanup had gone “faster than St. Patrick’s Day, slower than New Year’s.” He considered this a net positive.

The 24 curfew violations have prompted a separate discussion among 1st Ward stakeholders about the city’s curfew ordinance, which prohibits unaccompanied minors under 17 from being in public after 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Several aldermen expressed support for reviewing the ordinance. Several others expressed support for reviewing the reviewers. A third faction called for a working group to determine whether any existing working groups were already looking at this. As of press time, two working groups were.

The bicycle incident, which multiple officials referenced unprompted in Thursday’s briefing, has emerged as something of a symbolic focal point. The 16-year-old in question was cited under Chicago Municipal Code 9-52-020, which prohibits bicycle operation on public sidewalks in the central business district. No further details were released. The citation carries a fine of up to $50.

“That citation matters,” said Ald. Hopkins. “You can’t just ride a bicycle on the sidewalk in the Loop. That’s a rule. Rules mean something.” He declined further comment.

The Illinois Restaurant Association noted Thursday that State Street businesses reported “elevated foot traffic” Wednesday evening, with one bar manager near the area describing the atmosphere as “a high school hallway, but outside, and with more honking.” The Chicago Loop Alliance issued a statement calling for “inclusive public spaces that welcome all ages while maintaining safety and comfort for all users,” a formulation that appeared to satisfy no one but also offend no one, which a spokesperson called “exactly what we were going for.”

Tourism officials, perhaps sensing an opportunity, were more enthusiastic. Choose Chicago interim communications director Patricia Ogunleye said Thursday that the event represented “an organic expression of Chicago’s youth culture” that the city should “lean into thoughtfully.” She was asked if the city planned to lean into the curfew violations specifically or more generally. She said she would take that offline.

As of Thursday morning, CPS spring break continued. The Loop remained open. The sidewalks remained legal for pedestrians only. And the task force remained unscheduled, unfunded, and, according to one City Hall source speaking on background, “a work in progress.”

“We’re working on it,” the source said. “We’re very much in the process of working on it. We’ve identified that there’s a thing to work on, and we are going to work on it, and we will have more to share at the appropriate time.”

Spring break ends Sunday.