Thousands attend Black Expo Summer Celebration - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

With a celebrity basketball game and concert in the early evening, Saturday at Indiana Black Expo's Summer Celebration, was a family event.

By evening though, the streets belonged to the city's young people and police.

"We walk around and talk to your friends. Sometimes people just meet up and see each other," said one 15-year-old girl.

Just like last year, that socializing had a limit. Teens 14 and under had a curfew of 11 pm. Fifteen, 16 and 17-year-olds needed to be off the streets by 1 am.

"We're trying to stay out and have some fun, but its so early, I guess I'll go in. I 'aint trying to get locked up," said 16-year-old DeMarcus Dabney who said he would be taking the bus home when it hit curfew time.

There was a heavy police presence in the air and on the ground with some 400 officers patrolling, along with the IMPD Police Chief Rick Hite and Mayor Greg Ballard on site. Not to mention hundreds of volunteers, tasked with keeping order.

About 200 volunteers with the coalition worked to keep teens moving.

"If they're congested in one area, we ask them to keep it moving to keep traffic down so traffic can keep flowing," said Alonzo Graham with the Ten Point Coalition, a group made up of clergy and citizens concerned about violence.

"Just the fact that we have people as the go between reaching out to young people as they're gathering and watching and they engage them. I think they're doing an excellent job," said Chief Hite of the volunteers.

Police confirmed a handful of arrests in the crowd of thousands. "By and large we see people engaging the officers and having a good time. The kids are enjoying themselves, so this is what we see," Hite added.

Dozens of teens found not obeying the curfew were taken to a lot at Illinois and Maryland where a police command center had been set up. That's where police called their parents to come pick them up.