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Update: As of Tuesday, the citywide curfew has been moved up to 8pm, and will remain in force for the rest of the week. At the same time, the NYPD is barring traffic below 96th Street in Manhattan.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that a curfew will be imposed on NYC starting tonight from 11pm to 5am—later compared to similar orders in other cities. In announcing the curfew, he also noted a beefed up police presence. "There is going to be an increase in the force," he said before adding that the number of officers on duty will double from 4,000 last night to 8,000 tonight. He also said that the National Guard will be brought in if those measures fall short.
The order stemmed from Sunday's demonstrations against the death of George Floyd, an African-American man, while in police custody in Minneapolis—just the latest in a long series of incidents involving black people being killed by cops. While the protests in NYC where peaceful at first, they devolved into rioting after nightfall. Windows were broken, fires were set, cars were overturned, and stores were looted, including luxury retailers in Soho such as Chanel and Prada.
The protests to date have resulted in hundreds of arrests and dozen of injuries.
Earlier today, Mayor Bill De Blasio mentioned that a curfew was being contemplated, with the decision being made after he consulted with the Governor and high-ranking police officials. Speaking of the events last night, De Blasio said, "we saw looting. That is unacceptable in New York City. It will not be allowed." In the meantime, demonstrations will continue to take place across the city, from Times Square to Kings Plaza in Mill Basin, Brooklyn.
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