New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a curfew would start Monday night in an effort to quell the violence and destruction that have taken place in the city as the result of protests that have taken place since Friday.
The two made the decision Monday afternoon after the governor said during his morning COVID-19 briefing that he would speak to the mayor about the situation. At that time, he said while curfews had been effective elsewhere in the state, they were not “a silver bullet.”
Still, the looting and violence that took place late Sunday and early Monday in parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn demonstrated that something needed to be done. As a result, the curfew takes effect at 11 p.m.
“I stand behind the protesters and their message, but unfortunately there are people who are looking to take advantage of and discredit this moment for their own personal gain,” Cuomo said in a news release Monday afternoon. “The violence and the looting that has gone on in New York City has been bad for the city, the state and this entire national movement, undermining the and distracting from this righteous cause. While we encourage people to protest peacefully and make their voices heard, safety of the general public is paramount and cannot be compromised.”
Besides enacting the curfew, which will end at 5 a.m. Tuesday, the leaders announced the New York City Police Department would double its staffing for Monday night, with those extra officers working areas that were targeted over the weekend.
The mayor also said he supports the protesters, who have come out nightly to protest the death last week of George Floyd, who died after being pinned down by four now-fired Minneapolis police officers with one placing his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
Derek Chauvin, the individual shown in videos kneeling on Floyd’s neck, has been charged with murder and manslaughter in the case.
“The demonstrations we’ve seen have been generally peaceful,” de Blasio said in the statement. “We can’t let violence undermine the message of this moment. It is too important and the message must be heard.”
The riots and protests come as Cuomo and de Blasio try to ease monthslong restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The city is the last part of New York to not enter the state’s reopening process. However, Cuomo has said the city has been on track to start Phase One reopening next Monday.
Cuomo announced the state recorded just 54 deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday, and ongoing testing for the virus showed fewer than 2 percent of those tested came back positive.
Still, in seeking to keep the spread down, both Cuomo and de Blasio urged anyone participating in demonstrations to wear face masks and take other precautions.
The curfew also comes after President Donald Trump held a conference call with the nation’s governors urging them to get tough on violent protesters.
Cuomo told reporters during his morning briefing that he did not take part in that call.
While the state has 13,000 trained National Guardsmen on standby, Cuomo said in the morning he wasn’t sure if they were needed in New York City as they have been in other places, like Minneapolis and Louisville, Ky.
“I don’t know that the NYPD isn’t big enough,” Cuomo said. “I don’t think that’s the problem.”
