Raleigh curfew to continue for a 4th night but with a later start time
A citywide curfew will continue for a fourth night Thursday, but will start two hours later.
Peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis have continued in Raleigh despite the curfew — sometimes lasting more than an hour after curfew has begun and most people are supposed to be home.
Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin ordered the curfew Monday night after two nights of protests and vandalism to buildings in downtown over the weekend.
The curfew now begins at 10 p.m. and goes until 5 a.m., and it continues until Baldwin declares it is over. The start time for the past three days was at 8 p.m.
There were no injuries, arrests or damage to property Wednesday night, Baldwin said in a Thursday statement, adding that the city was beginning to see a “real connection and dialogue beginning to take place.”
“This is real progress and it must continue,” she said.
Living with a curfew is not a “long-term solution,” Baldwin said. And she told restaurants and businesses she feels their pain. Restaurants are now allowed to operate at 50% capacity under Phase Two of the state’s coronavirus reopening plan.
“With this change, we hope to allow restaurants and other small businesses throughout the city more time to serve their customers while providing our community more time to engage in a peaceful way,” she said.
A violation is a Class 2 misdemeanor, which can carry a maximum of 60 days in jail and a fine up to $1,000. Raleigh police and the Wake County Sheriff’s Office each reported one arrest for curfew violations on Tuesday night.
The only people exempt from the curfew are public safety employees (police, firefighters, etc.), hospital workers, on-duty military personnel, public utilities and public transit employees, freight and package-delivery employees, and members of the media.
Baldwin added an exemption for people traveling on public streets if they are going to and from work.
“I want our progress to continue,” Baldwin said. “We need to continue to grow together peacefully with respect and compassion. I am hopeful that we can continue to learn from this experience and emerge as a better city.”
Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown spoke with protesters an hour after curfew Wednesday, asking them to respect the rules and listen to their demands. Protesters gathered around her telling them about their own lives. They reached a compromise that the march would end a 9:45 p.m. — about two hours after the curfew.
“I think you also have to show an act of good faith,” Deck-Brown told ABC11, The News & Observer’s newsgathering partner. “And you’ve got to be able to work with people. Right now, law enforcement across the nation is at a point where I think we’re at a reckoning point. We’ve got to reckon with the issues that we face.”
For a full list of exemptions, call the city’s curfew hotline at 919-996-2200 or go to www.raleighnc.gov.
For questions about the order read The News & Observer’s Q&A.
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 12:24 PM.
