Nightly curfew order has expired in Arizona

Arizona’s nightly curfew expired Monday morning amid successive days of peaceful protests against police brutality.

Gov. Doug Ducey instituted the statewide curfew on May 31 after crowds broke into stores at a Scottsdale shopping mall and smashed windows on several buildings around downtown Phoenix and Tucson.

The curfew lasted from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. every night until Monday morning, though there were broad exemptions.

The Governor’s Office did not respond to questions about whether Ducey would extend the curfew, but he made several posts on social media Monday indicating he would not and touting the measure as a success.

“I want to thank both the peaceful protesters and law enforcement professionals for their cooperation during Arizona’s statewide curfew,” the governor wrote on Twitter. “Arizona has avoided much of the violence we’ve seen in other states and large metro areas.”

Protests have continued peacefully in Phoenix, many nights passing without any arrests as crowds of hundreds and even thousands have turned out in punishing heat to march around downtown before dispersing ahead of the nightly curfew.

The measure included multiple several exceptions, allowing Arizonans to patronize businesses after 8 p.m. and commute to and from work after the curfew.

The governor argued that the exceptions tailored the measure narrowly enough to allow for protests but prevent looting during the night. But many people criticized the measure as restricting protests and as too wide-reaching in a sprawling state where large demonstrations were generally confined to a few counties.

Ducey argued at a press conference last week, however, that the curfew was prompted in part by several incidents in communities outside the Valley. He specifically mentioned Yuma County. Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls promptly issued a statement that seemed to contradict the governor, emphasizing that protests in the city were peaceful.

And while Ducey initially said the curfew came at the request of local leaders and in coordination with state and local law enforcement, the Governor’s Office didn’t identify a single mayor who had asked for the curfew. Mayors around the Valley contacted by The Arizona Republic said they had not requested it.

The Governor’s Office later said Ducey issued the declaration after consulting with local law enforcement leaders.