Cuomo and de Blasio declare overnight curfew in New York City
Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a citywide curfew in New York City from 11 p.m. Monday until 5 a.m. Tuesday. The move follows a night of violence after a day of largely peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd.
"I stand behind the protesters and their message, but unfortunately there are people who are looking to distract and discredit this moment," Cuomo said. "The violence and the looting has been bad for the city, the state and this entire national movement, undermining and distracting from this righteous cause. While we encourage people to protest peacefully and make their voices heard, the safety of the general public is paramount and cannot be compromised."
Even before Monday's curfew took effect, de Blasio tweeted there would be another curfew beginning at 8 p.m. on Tuesday night.
"These protests have power and meaning. But as the night wears on we are seeing groups use them to incite violence and destroy property," he wrote. "Our first priority is keeping people safe, so I'm extending the curfew to Tuesday. It will begin at 8pm."
New York City — which has more than 8 million residents — is following other large cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago. Cuomo had said earlier he would speak with de Blasio about a curfew, and said "legally, I can impose a curfew." There have been curfews imposed in some of New York's smaller cities, including Buffalo and Albany.
Cuomo also said the NYPD will double its presence on the street from 4,000 officers to 8,000 officers. Earlier Monday, Cuomo had said he thought the size of the NYPD would avoid him having to activate the National Guard, like other cities have done.
The NYPD said more than 400 people were arrested overnight, adding that several police officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries and roughly a dozen police vehicles were damaged, CBS New York reported. Earlier Monday, Cuomo said "last night was bad for New York City."
There has been criticism over the NYPD's reaction to protesters, including an incident involving an NYPD vehicle that drove into a crowd of protesters. Cuomo has repeatedly said he has appointed Attorney General Letitia James to review police conduct.
There have been days of unrest nationwide following Floyd's death in Minneapolis on May 25. Floyd, a black man, died after a white officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for several minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and pleaded for air. One officer has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, and he was fired along with three others. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison will lead all prosecutions related to Floyd's death, officials announced Sunday night.
Audrey McNamara contributed to this report.
