A person is arrested and walked down 5th Avenue near St. Patricks on June 1, 2020, in New York City, during a “Black Lives Matter” protest.
Timothy A. Clary | AFP | Getty Images
A curfew on New York City will be extended through the end of the week as heated protests over the death of George Floyd continue to shake the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday.
The curfews will take effect at 8 p.m. each evening and will be lifted at 5 a.m. the following morning, de Blasio said at a press briefing.
The massive protests in the city over Floyd’s death at the hands of a police officer have erupted into violence in the past week.
Hundreds of people were arrested as protesters clashed with police officers, smashed windows, set fires and looted stores. New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said at the briefing that nearly 700 arrests were made on Monday night.
“Everyone should be off the street by 8 p.m.,” Shea said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio greets healthcare workers and conducts a press conference at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York, April 10, 2020.
EuropaNewswire | Gado | Getty Images
De Blasio condemned anyone in the crowds who attacked police or committed crimes, and vowed that “we’re going to beat it back” going forward.
“We will not tolerate violence of any kind. We will not tolerate attacks on police officers. We will not tolerate hatred being created,” de Blasio said.
“An attack on police officers is an attack on all of us. Pure and simple.”
“The overwhelming majority of our officers are standing up for us every single day, protecting us every single day,” de Blasio said. “They need our respect and support right now.”
But the mayor noted that the protests during the day were “overwhelmingly peaceful.”
A swell of outrage grew across the nation in reaction to the death of Floyd at the hands of Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer who pinned the 46-year-old unarmed black man to the ground and held his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.
Chauvin, whose conduct with Floyd was captured on video, was arrested and charged with murder and manslaughter.
De Blasio called on local leaders and community representatives to take action. “Step forward, create pace. Own your community,” de Blasio said. “I’ll be standing by you. I’ll be supporting you. The NYPD will be supporting you.”
The mayor said the city will assure that additional officers are stationed where they are needed to stop “any disorder.”
He also pushed back when a reporter asked about scenes in the city of looters acting with apparent “impunity” amid the chaos.
“I am so sick of these efforts to mischaracterize reality,” de Blasio responded. “It is never, ever, ever accepted, and won’t be accepted.”
President Donald Trump appeared to weigh in on the mayor’s remarks during the press briefing, tweeting that New York City must “CALL UP THE NATIONAL GUARD.”
“The lowlifes and losers are ripping you apart. Act fast! Don’t make the same horrible and deadly mistake you made with the Nursing Homes!!!” the president tweeted.
Trump was referring to New York’s handling of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in nursing homes, where thousands of residents have reportedly died of the virus.
De Blasio said he worried that the protests could exacerbate the spread of the disease, which has been on a steady decline in the Empire State.
Asked if the city needed the National Guard, de Blasio said, “No. We do not need or do we think it’s wise for the National Guard to be in New York City, nor any armed forces.”
“Someone needs a history lesson,” the mayor added. “When outside armed forces go into communities, no good comes of it.”
The 36,000 police officers in the city “are the best equipped” to deal with the situation, he said.
De Blasio had imposed an emergency curfew Monday at 11 p.m. On Monday evening, he announced that the city would enforce an 8 p.m. curfew Tuesday.
