Mayor De Blasio Lifts Curfew In New York City 1 Day Ahead Of Schedule
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Mayor Bill de Blasio has lifted the curfew in New York City.
The curfew was originally set to have its final night tonight starting at and 8 p.m. and expire at 5 a.m. Monday morning, when the city moves into Phase One of reopening.
The curfew was put in effect after looting took place in New York City.
Officials suggested gangs of looters and "outside agitators" were taking advantage of peaceful George Floyd protests to wreak havoc.
"New York City: We are lifting the curfew, effective immediately. Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city," de Blasio wrote on Twitter. "Tomorrow we take the first big step to restart. Keep staying safe. Keep looking out for each other."
The curfew originally was set for 11 p.m-5 a.m. but was expanded to 8 p.m.-5 a.m. due to continued looting and property damage. It included a ban on most vehicular traffic in Manhattan below 96th Street.
The curfew had become in itself a source of tension between protesters and officials.
WEB EXTRA: See The Mayor's Presentation Slides (.pdf)
De Blasio said there were only four arrests and 24 summonses issued the entire day Saturday, in which tens of thousands participated in peaceful protest.
"We've had five days in a row, thank God, where we see peaceful protests predominate, an end to the property damage we saw earlier in the week which has no place in this city. Because we had each day a better and better situation, more and more peaceful protesters coming out, better situation overall each day, fewer arrests, I made the decision to end the curfew. And honestly I hope it is the last time that we'll ever need a curfew in New York City," de Blasio said. "So the curfew has ended. It is out of effect. It will not be coming back."
Watch: Mayor Bill de Blasio Gives Daily Briefing
De Blasio thanked the tens of thousands of peaceful protesters as well as the members of the NYPD who protected them.
The mayor said his priorities throughout the week had been protecting the right to protest, avoiding the loss of life, avoiding injury, protecting property and avoiding deploying the National Guard.
De Blasio said he has heard the cries of the protesters and will be making changes. He said the first step in that process is going to be police accountability. He pointed out that two officers have already been suspended and one transferred following viral videos of encounters with protesters.
The mayor said there was a "small but committed" group dedicated to committing violence trying to act out.
He pointed out that no NYPD precincts were burned, no rubber bullets fired, and no military deployed, as has happened in other cities.
"This has been a very complex dynamic, but in the end we're coming out of this week strong," he said.
