Raleigh mayor says curfew, proactive steps reduced damage during Jacob Blake protest
Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said a weekend curfew and other proactive measures helped reduce the amount of damage during protests in downtown Raleigh on Friday night.
About 1,200 people protested Friday night, Baldwin said, and all but about 200 went home after the 10 p.m. curfew went into effect.
Fourteen people were arrested and charged with violating curfew, according to the Raleigh Police Department.
A curfew violation is a Class 2 misdemeanor which can carry a maximum of 60 days in jail and a fine up to $1,000. Four of the people arrested Friday night faced additional charges, including disorderly conduct and assault on a law enforcement officer.
Laura Hourigan, a spokesperson for the Raleigh Police Department, said there was at least one incident in which property was damaged. It occurred on Davie Street.
Eric Curry, a Wake County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, also said there was at least one broken window at the county’s Public Safety Center. Protesters used red paint to cover some of the building’s doors, sidewalks and a nearby monument that memorialized fallen deputies.
The protest was organized after last weekend’s shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was paralyzed after a white police officer fired seven shots towards his back as he opened the door to his SUV. Blake, who had briefly scuffled with police as they tried to arrest him on an outstanding warrant, was hit four times.
Baldwin said Friday’s protest in Raleigh “went as well as can be expected.”
Baldwin said the city’s response plan incorporated lessons learned from demonstrations that followed the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25.
“I also believe that many of the protesters came in peace,” Baldwin said. “They want to get their message across about social justice and they have every right to do that.”
Some protesters were critical of the curfew.
“Putting the city on the curfew is showing she is valuing property more than people,” Kerwin Pittman told The News & Observer before Friday’s demonstration. “This is nothing more than another form of intimidation.”
But Baldwin said that during the protests in Raleigh on May 31 and June 1, most of the damage occurred after 10 p.m. This time, she said, the curfew established expectations for protesters. “I think it set an example of what we want to see happen,” Baldwin said.
Many downtown business and property owners had boarded up their windows to prepare for a potential repeat of the violence that erupted after the protests this spring. Downtown is still recovering from the looting and vandalism those nights, and business owners asked for the 10 p.m. curfew that Baldwin issued for Friday and Saturday.
Other preparations included the closing the streets and removing objects that could be thrown through windows, such as planters and benches, Baldwin said.
In addition, there was a stronger police presence, Baldwin said. Instead of officers starting out the night in riot gear, as some did the last round of protests, they wore their blue standard uniforms.
“I think that set the tone,” she said. “That was a lesson learned from last time.”
Sheriff’s Office deputies, whose main goal was to protect the jail with about 400 inmates, also tried to stay less visible, Curry said.
“We did not want to put deputies in full riot gear that could cause the anger or push those that that thought we were there to show any type of force or that would prevent them from speaking out freely,” Curry said.
Some law enforcement officers were in riot gear, however.
Baldwin said police followed protesters but kept their distance, she said. At 10 p.m., they started to issue warnings. A more aggressive approach was taken when protesters started throwing fireworks and water bottles, some frozen, at police, Baldwin said.
Baldwin said she didn’t have any details on specific protests planned for Saturday night, but city officials are prepared for them.
This afternoon, Baldwin and other city and county officials, along with faith and business leaders, plan to gather at 4 p.m. Moore Square for a “Shine the Light” prayer vigil, calling for social equality, unity and healing in the community, according to Baldwin and a city of Raleigh media release.
Raleigh residents are also asked to shine a light outside at 9 p.m. Saturday.
Shaw University Center for Racial and Social Justice and the Student Government Association are also organizing a protest at 8:30 p.m. Saturday on the lawn of Estey Hall, at 118 E. South St, a media release states. The protest is in response the Blake shooting and to raise awareness of a need for student participation in peaceful protests, the release states.
This story was originally published August 29, 2020 at 12:29 PM.
