Cuomo sets NYC curfew amid protest
Period began at 11 p.m. Monday and ends 5 a.m. Tuesday
For the first time in recent memory, New York City implemented a curfew Monday night as anti-police brutality protests engulfed the city in recent days, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said.
The curfew was scheduled to begin at 11 p.m. Monday and last until 5 a.m. Tuesday. Cuomo announced the move in a Monday afternoon radio interview.
The curfew was to accompany a sharp increase in police presence in the city, where thousands of people flooded the streets over the weekend to demand justice for George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was allegedly killed by a police officer in Minneapolis last week.
Many of the protests downstate were peaceful, but some had turned violent – with stores looted, police cars set aflame and other public areas destroyed.
“I stand behind the protesters and their message, but unfortunately there are people who are looking to distract and discredit this moment,” Cuomo said in a release. “The violence and the looting has been bad for the city, the state and this entire national movement, undermining and distracting from this righteous cause. While we encourage people to protest peacefully and make their voices heard, the safety of the general public is paramount and cannot be compromised.”
The governor’s decision was made in tandem with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who said in the release that the curfew would “protect against violence and property damage.” He also promised that any officers who had mishandled their responses to the chaos would be held accountable for their actions, as videos allegedly showing police misconduct have spread rapidly on social media.
On Sunday, a clip of two New York City Police Department vehicles running into protesters went viral, while another video showed a white police officer pulling down a black man’s mask to pepper spray him in the face. The man had been demonstrating peacefully with his hands in the air, and the officer did not pepper spray several white demonstrators nearby.
The day before, a city police officer was captured on film throwing a 20-yearold woman to the ground so forcefully that she had a seizure.
Cuomo had mentioned the idea of a curfew during his daily press briefing Monday morning, when he denounced rioting and expressed concern that the protests both in the city and upstate could hurt progress that the state has made to keep the spread of the coronavirus under control.
While Cuomo said that he “stand(s) with the protesters,” he again urged them to remain peaceful, wear masks and socially distance. Some upstate protests had also turned chaotic over the weekend, including in Albany, where local officials estimated $1 million in damage.
Albany and Schenectady also instituted curfews in recent days.