Thousands March Peacefully In New York City, But Many Ignore 8 p.m. Curfew

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Many protesters were still on the streets well after the 8 p.m. city-wide curfew went into effect on Tuesday night.

Throughout the day the demonstrations were peaceful as thousands gathered in groups to remember George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man who died in Minneapolis Police custody last week.

The curfew will be in effect from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. every night for the rest of the week.

"If people are going about their business or people are on their way home we understand that," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "The curfew is there to allow the police to be able to address any situation where someone is trying to do violence to a person or property."

Once the curfew started, the NYPD was on the lookout for specific groups of younger people that have been taking away from the spirit of the Floyd protests. Officials have said the groups have been responsible for periods of vandalism and looting since the peaceful protests started several days ago.

Likely making things easier for law enforcement in Manhattan was a ban on vehicular traffic below 96th Street and the NYPD doubling its manpower to 8,000 officers, each working a mandatory 12-hour shift, CBS2's Ali Bauman reported.

As the minutes went by Tuesday night, there were scattered reports of looting in the city, but nothing on the scale of Monday night, when countless business were destroyed and picked clean of merchandise and hundreds of people were arrested.

There was also a sense of calm up in the Bronx, where 24 hours earlier looters wrecked businesses on Fordham Road. But once the curfew started on Tuesday, the streets quickly cleared out, CBS2's Alice Gainer reported.

At around 8 p.m. police tried and failed to stop a large group still out crossing the Manhattan Bridge. A few minutes later, the crowd crossed over, Bauman reported.

And with some subway entrances locked up, protesters at Columbus Circle said they were trying to follow the curfew, but were struggling to get home.

"It's 8 o'clock, so why would you lock the subway system and not let me get home when it's time to go?" one protester said. "So now you got me walking out on the street."

MORE: Mayor: NYPD, Community Leaders Will Create Peace In New York City, Not The National Guard

Peaceful protests took place during the evening hours, including one at the Stonewall Inn in the West Village, CBS2's Natalie Duddridge reported.

As day started to turn to night, more and more people gathered outside the Inn. There were signs expressing LGBTQ support for the protesters fighting against racism and police brutality, as was the case during the Stonewall riots back in 1969.

MORE: NYPD Officers Have Conflicting Feelings As They Deal With The 'War Zone' And Public Perception

The demonstrators marched all over the city earlier Tuesday -- the sixth day of protests in the Big Apple -- but didn't stay in one place long. Groups were seen merging with other groups, Bauman reported.

People walked from the West Village to Union Square, and from Bryant Park all the way up to Gracie Mansion, where they were diverted from de Blasio's residence.

In the crowd, Bauman met Donna Joyner, a nurse at Mount Sinai hospital, who said she wants to see the NYPD form stronger bonds in communities it serves.

"They have to give the kids a reason to look up to them, you know? Because right now they're just afraid," Joyner said.

"It's not always white against black, but it's wrong against right," another protester said.

In:
• Brooklyn
• Manhattan
• Death of George Floyd
• New York City