The New York City council put in place a curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. (0 a.m. GMT to 9 a.m. GMT Wednesday) on Tuesday, valid until Sunday in order to stem the violent protests that followed the death of George Floyd, an Afro- American, its mayor, Bill de Blasio, announced on Tuesday.
A first curfew put in place Monday between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., the first in the city since 1943, failed to prevent looters from robbing stores in Manhattan after dark.
More than 200 people were arrested Monday night before the curfew went into effect, while more than 700 others were arrested throughout the night, mostly young people, according to New York police (NYPD ).
A police officer was seriously injured Monday night by a motorist who fled into the Bronx, while another was struck by a car while trying to stop a burglary in Manhattan, the NYPD reported.
“We have seen violent attacks against the police. It is totally unacceptable,” denounced Bill de Blasio during his daily briefing. “Anyone who attacks a policeman attacks us all.”
As of Tuesday night, no traffic was allowed in much of Manhattan once the curfew went into effect, except for residents, workers deemed essential, buses and delivery trucks, according to the NYPD.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was “disappointed and outraged” by Monday night’s events, noting that criminal activity is harmful to all.
He also criticized the city’s preparedness to deal with Monday night’s chaos, saying the mayor had underestimated the scope and duration of the problem. Although the New York police force doubled its staff on Monday evening, rising to 8,000 personnel, more is needed, Cuomo ruled.
Protests continued in the city on Tuesday, with thousands of people, most of whom were students from various ethnic groups, chanting slogans such as “Without justice, no peace” and marching mostly peacefully until the afternoon in lower Manhattan.
Several streets were blocked for these protests and helicopters flew over the crowds. Dozens of police have been deployed to some key locations such as the plaza in front of NYPD headquarters in lower Manhattan, Union Square, and the Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn.
Most stores in lower Manhattan have nailed plywood panels in front of their windows and no doors in the afternoon, waiting for another likely violent evening.
To date, the city has arrested nearly 2,000 people since the protests began last Thursday. More than 50 police officers were injured, according to the NYPD.
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