Mayor Defends Curfew After NYPD Cracks Down On Peaceful Protest

NEW YORK, NY —New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio defended the city's 8 p.m. curfew as a policy that promotes "peace" after a night that saw NYPD crackdowns on two separate groups of peaceful protesters in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Dozens of protesters were arrested for violating the city's curfew Tuesday night while demonstrating and marching in Brooklyn's Cadman Plaza and on Manhattan's Third Avenue. Earlier in the day, de Blaiso said during a press conference that protests may be allowed to continue after 8 p.m. so long as people were "scrupulously peaceful."

Videos of police hitting protesters with batons on Third Avenue and shoving their way through non-violent crowds drew condemnation from local elected officials. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who was at the Cadman Plaza protest, described the police's use of force as "disgusting." City Councilman Keith Powers, who represents the area of Midtown where about 60 protesters were arrested, said that it's "absolutely unacceptable" for police to hit peaceful marchers with nightsticks.

When asked Wednesday about videos of police charging into the groups of protesters, de Blasio said he hadn't seen the video but that all instances of police misconduct during protests will be investigated. Despite confusion over whether protesters would be allowed to demonstrate after the curfew if they remained peaceful, de Blasio described the curfew policy as "clear as a bell."

"When people are instructed by the NYPD, especially after curfew, they must follow those instructions," de Blasio said Wednesday. Later on in the press conference, de Blasio repeated his line about the NYPD making some exceptions for those being "scrupulously peaceful."

During the press conference de Blasio also said that the NYPD has been treating protesters with "as light a touch as possible," since protests began on Thursday night. In the past week, police have been documented taking aggressive action against otherwise peaceful protesters. In shocking videos posted on Twitter Saturday night, two NYPD vehicles can be seen plowing through a crowd of protesters who were pelting the cruisers and pushing barricades into them in Brooklyn. The night before, a woman was hospitalized for a concussion and seizures after being violently shoved while protesting peacefully in Brooklyn.

Disparities have been seen regarding the NYPD's enforcing of the curfew when it comes to different groups of protesters. The crackdowns in Cadman Plaza and on Third Avenue both occurred around 9 p.m. Wednesday night. Other protests throughout New York City were allowed to continue later into the night. A Tuesday night protest that resulted in a standoff with police on the Manhattan Bridge went until about 11 p.m. until people started to head home.

New Yorkers leaving protests face obstacles when it comes to getting home. The city ordered Citibike to end service two hours before curfew went into effect Tuesday. Police were also seen preventing protesters from entering the subway and confiscating protester's bikes and cars.

City officials instituted the curfew by executive order this week after groups of organized looters caused havoc in retail districts such as SoHo and Midtown's Herald Square. City and police officials have been very clear to distinguish looters from peaceful protesters ever since New Yorkers began taking to the streets on Thursday night to protest police brutality, systemic racism and white supremacy since the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd, who died after a police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes.