As protests continued for a third night following the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered a citywide curfew for the District of Columbia. The curfew is in effect 11:00 p.m. Sunday, May 31 until 6:00 a.m. Monday, June 1.
The order was a change in tone. At a press conference held earlier Sunday with MPD Chief Peter Newsham, Bowser said she did not think a curfew would be issued as protesters were unlikely to comply. The curfew was announced at 7 p.m. Sunday night, and the National Guard was sighted travelling down East Capitol towards downtown just before 11 p.m.
@PoPville @nbcwashington DC National Guard rolling down East Capital headed towards downtown. pic.twitter.com/YFixxhMi0H
— Adam Owens (@aowens83) June 1, 2020
By that time, a National Park Service building had been lit on fire. There was also a fire in the basement of the historic St. John’s Church, located across from the White House. Reports from Lafayette square said that tear gas and flash grenades were used to disperse those on the scene. There were no widely-issued reports of injuries to those demonstrating.
The wording of the order is as follows: “During the hours of the curfew, no person, other than persons designated by the Mayor, shall walk, bike, run, loiter, stand, or motor by car or other mode of transport upon any street, alley, park, or other public place within the District. Individuals performing essential duties as authorized by prior Mayor’s Orders, including working media with their outlet-issued credentials and healthcare personnel, are exempt when engaged in essential functions.”
Violators can face fines of up to $300 or 10 days in jail. The order is not online, but was released to the press. You can read the text here.
