States adjust curfews amid peaceful protests
Both law enforcement, protesters appear less eager for confrontation
Dozens of U.S. cities remained under curfew Wednesday night, but some began to relax their restrictions amid signs of a reduction in the widespread violence, vandalism and civil unrest that broke out across the country following the death of George Floyd on May 25 in Minneapolis.
Protests continued during the day and were largely peaceful, reinforcing hopes that the most serious convulsions had passed, especially after three more officers were charged in the death of Floyd. But each day since the turmoil began, serious trouble has not emerged until nighttime, leaving local and state officials again bracing for renewed disturbances as evening approached.
The unrest was far less destructive Tuesday than it had been the previous few nights, as both law enforcement officers and people in the streets appeared less eager for confrontation.
“The largest group of protesters that we have seen to this point have been doing a little bit of self-policing,” Peter Newsham, the police chief of Washington, said.
Floyd, 46, a Black resident of a Minneapolis suburb, died after gasping “I can’t breathe” while a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
The autopsy of Floyd was released Wednesday and provides several clinical details, including that Floyd had previously tested positive for COVID-19.
The 20-page report released by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office came with the family's permission and after the coroner's office released summary findings Monday that Floyd had a heart attack while being restrained by officers, and classified his death as a homicide.
The report by Chief Medical Examiner Andrew Baker spelled out clinical details, including that Floyd had tested positive for COVID-19 on April 3 but appeared asymptomatic.
While some cities and states eased their curfews, others kept them in place.
> Los Angeles County and the city of Los Angeles pushed back their curfews from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and neighbouring Santa Monica moved its curfew from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. “We saw mass amounts of people protesting peacefully” last night, said the county’s sheriff, Alex Villanueva. “As a result, hopefully we can start altering the curfew.”
> Washington moved back its curfew from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. In the afternoon, several hundred protesters lay face down on the pavement, as Floyd had, in eerie silence outside the Capitol.
> The mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, maintained a 9 p.m. curfew but reopened street access to the downtown area and allowed businesses there to reopen. The regional commuter rail system resumed service after being shut down for two days.
> New York City, where there was extensive looting Monday night, remained under an 8 p.m. curfew, a day after thousands of peaceful protesters defied it.
> The mayor of Raleigh, N.C., Mary-Ann Baldwin, extended an 8 p.m. curfew despite a quieter night Tuesday, calling the decision “incredibly difficult.”
> Minnesota’s governor kept in place a10 p.m. curfew in St. Paul and Minneapolis, where a memorial service for Floyd will be held Thursday.
> Atlanta not only maintained its 9 p.m. curfew, but announced that it would begin an hour earlier Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The national response to the death of George Floyd has begun to move from the streets into statehouses, as lawmakers across the country seek to harness outrage at police abuses.
á> In California, lawmakers advanced legislation Wednesday to reconsider the state’s landmark ban on affirmative action and to examine reparations for slavery.
> Democrats in Colorado introduced a bill to extend a ban on chokeholds and to permanently decertify and end immunity from prosecution for law enforcement officers convicted of unlawful use of force.
> Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin urged passage of legislation aimed at minimizing the use of lethal police force.
> New Jersey’s attorney general said the state would update its use-of-force guidelines for the first time in two decades.
> In Maryland, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers last week announced a police reform working group.
Minnesota’s attorney general asked for patience and time to build the case.
Keith Ellison asked the public Wednesday for patience during a criminal investigation that would take months to complete, and he cautioned that history showed the challenges of prosecuting police officers.
“Trying this case will not be an easy thing,” he said. “Winning a conviction will be hard.”