Megan Burney
BREAKING– Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio announce citywide curfew in New York City following a weekend of protests over the murder of George Floyd. The announcement came during an interview with WAMC late Monday afternoon. Said curfew will go into effect tonight at 11 p.m. and will be lifted at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning.
New Yorkers: I’ve spoken with @NYGovCuomo and for everyone’s safety we have decided to implement a citywide curfew in New York City tonight. It will take effect at 11pm and be lifted at 5am tomorrow morning.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) June 1, 2020
IMPORTANT NEWS:
There will be a citywide curfew in NYC starting at 11pm TONIGHT (6/1), lasting until 5am.
NYC residents — you must stay home after 11 PM! pic.twitter.com/gZXBvPOmOp
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 1, 2020
In addition to the curfew, an attached press release states that the NYPD will double the number of police officers in areas that have been damaged by vandalism and looting in wake of the weekend’s protests. Specifically there will be heightened police presence in lower Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn. Gloria Pazmino of NY1 reports that this increased presence will grow from 4,000 to 8,000 officers citywide. In the same statement, both Cuomo and de Blasio assured that they support the movement that prompted protests, but the violence imposed by others has forced them to impose greater restrictions.
“I stand behind the protestors and their message, but unfortunately there are people who are looking to distract and discredit this moment,” Gov. Cuomo said. “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.”
“I support and protect peaceful protest in this city. The demonstrations we’ve seen have been generally peaceful. We can’t let violence undermine the message of this moment. It is too important and the message must be heard.”