After a night of confrontations with the police and of pillage Y pillage in the Soho neighborhood, the governor of NY, Andrew Cuomo, this Monday ordered a curfew in the Big Apple, from eleven at night to five hours on Tuesday. This measure is accompanied by a reinforcement of police officers, which will double from one day to the next, from 4,000 to 8,000.
The curfew it had been imposed on occasion in limited areas, such as parks, to prevent crime. But extending it to the entire city, to the five districts, is something that had not been adopted for many decades, not even at this time when it was ordered that people stay at home to mitigate the contagion of the coronavirus.
In some media it is recalled that in 1943, Mayor Fiorelo LaGuardia imposed an emergency curfew after serious disturbances in Harlem and that a white policeman shot a black soldier. Five people died during the riots.
The measure in principle has been taken for one day. Depending on what happens, it will be prolonged or lifted. The most populous metropolis in the United States thus joins a long list of other cities that have imposed a curfew. Minneapolis began, point of origin of the unrest over the death of the African American George Floyd when he was already in custody and immobilized, with Agent Derek Chauvin’s knee pressing his throat for more than eight minutes.
On Sunday night in New York, after peaceful marches, violence broke out. There were several clashes with the police in Brooklyn and in lower Manhattan. However, the conflict that has unleashed the governor’s reaction, with the full support of Mayor Bill de Blasio, was recorded in the Soho, place of brand stores for wealthy people.
Neighbor Beyhan Karahan, with thirty years of residence in the neighborhood, said on Monday that she saw from her apartment how the demonstration was heading north but that there were groups that appeared in that area. “They didn’t know anything about slogans. They went straight to the stores, took out the goods and there were some cars waiting for them. They had it organized, “he said. “The police did not arrive for two hours. Although they saw people carrying all the products, they did not tell them anything, “he added.
This circumstance, together with the alarm caused by a video in which a police officer is seen taking out his pistol and pointing it at a protester, caused concern among the governor and local authorities.
In a joint statement with the mayor, Cuomo indicated that “I am with those who demonstrate and their message, but, unfortunately, there are people who want to take advantage of this situation and discredit what is happening for their own benefit. According to the governor, “the violence and looting we have seen is bad for the city, the state and the nation, it undermines the protest movement and distracts from the right cause.”
He reiterated that he encourages peaceful protests and that the voice of the citizens is heard, “public safety is the priority and it cannot be compromised.”
Cuomo recalled that he is still in the midst of a global pandemic that spread among the crowds and threatens public health.
“Most of the demonstrations we have seen have been generally peaceful. We are not going to allow your message to be blown up at this time, ”said Mayor De Blasio. “Tonight, to protect ourselves against violence and avoid property damage, the government and I have decided to implement a curfew,” he remarked.
The bustle was incessant this Monday in Soho and other parts of the city to install wooden protections in establishments. For some this came too late, they were already looted and destroyed.
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