New York City imposes curfew amid Floyd protests

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City imposed an 11:00 p.m. curfew Monday as the nation’s biggest city tried to head off another night of destruction erupting amid protests over George Floyd’s death.

With an 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew, New York is joining other cities around the country in imposing such restrictions after days of violence.

The limit on the movement of 8.6 million people comes after months of restrictions already imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo said the outbreaks of violence — which left stores ransacked, police vehicles burned and other destruction in spots around the city — left them no choice, even as they insisted they stood with peaceful demonstrators who have spoken out for several days against police brutality and racial injustice.

“We can’t let violence undermine the message of this moment,” de Blasio said in a written statement.

Cuomo blamed “people who are looking to distract and discredit” the protests and said they couldn’t be allowed to undermine public safety.

The two leaders, both Democrats, also criticised some police actions as fuelling protesters’ rage.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said earlier Monday that he worried about whether a curfew would be heeded.

“If people think it will, they don’t understand what’s going on,” Shea said on NBC’s “Today.”

The announcement came as new protests got underway.

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