[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Somerville 3-6-72 as Ord. No. 712. Section 108-7 amended at time of adoption of Code; see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I. Other amendments noted where applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
LOITERING
Remaining idle in essentially one (1) location, and includes the concepts of spending time idly, loafing and walking about aimlessly, and also includes the colloquial expression "hanging around."
PARENT OR GUARDIAN
Includes any adult person having care or custody of a minor, whether by reason of blood relationship, the order of any court or otherwise.
PUBLIC PLACE
Any place to which the public has access, and includes any street, highway, road, alley or sidewalk. It also includes the front or the neighborhood of any store, shop, restaurant, tavern or other place of business, any public grounds, areas, parks, as well as parking lots or other vacant private property not owned by or under the control of the person charged with violating this chapter, or, in the case of a minor, not owned by or under the control of his parent or guardian.
No person shall loiter in a public place in such manner as to:
A. 
Create or cause to be created a danger of a breach of the peace.
B. 
Create or cause to be created any disturbance or annoyance to the comfort and repose of any person.
C. 
Obstruct the free passage of pedestrians or vehicles.
D. 
Obstruct, molest or interfere with any person lawfully in any public place, as defined in § 108-1. This subsection shall include the making of unsolicited remarks of an offensive, disgusting or insulting nature or which are calculated to annoy or disturb the person to whom or in whose hearing they are made.
Whenever any police officer shall, in the exercise of reasonable judgment, decide that the presence of any person in any public place is causing or is likely to cause any of the conditions enumerated in § 108-2, he may, if he deems it necessary for the preservation of the public peace and safety, order that person to leave that place. Any person who shall refuse to leave after being ordered to do so by a police officer shall be guilty of a violation of this chapter.
No parent or guardian of a minor under the age of eighteen (18) years shall knowingly permit that minor to loiter in violation of this chapter.
Whenever any minor under the age of eighteen (18) years is charged with a violation of this chapter, his parent or guardian shall be notified of this fact by the Chief of Police or any other person designated by him to give such notice.
If at any time within thirty (30) days following the giving of notice as provided in § 108-5, the minor to whom such notice relates again violates this chapter, it shall be presumed, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, that the minor did so with the knowledge and permission of his parent or guardian.
Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) or by imprisonment not exceeding ninety (90) days, or both, in the discretion of the court.
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Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code; see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I.