Mayor Bill de Blasio lifts curfew early amid peaceful New York City protests

Mayor Bill de Blasio lifted the citywide curfew early just as New York City enters Phase 1 of reopening tomorrow.

"New York City: We are lifting the curfew, effective immediately," de Blasio tweeted early Sunday morning. "Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city. Tomorrow we take the first big step to restart. Keep staying safe. Keep looking out for each other."

The 8pm-5 am curfew was enforced starting on Monday, June 1 after a weekend of protests erupted in the aftermath of George Floyd's death and was slated to end at 5 am Monday, June 8. While the majority of protests were indeed peaceful, there were incidents of looting and countless businesses boarded up their storefronts to ward off potential violence. 

But the city's curfew also brought up simmering tensions between the public and police force.There were incidences of officials pulling aside food delivery workers and some essential workers were stopped even when the enforced curfew didn't apply to them. Citi Bike service was also halted and there was general confusion on how the city would stay operate under the curfew (the hours for public transportation, whether people could walk their dogs

As thousands of New Yorkers protested this weekend, the mayor cited the fewest number of protest-related arrests over the past few night as the reason for lifting the curfew.

"I have no intention of bringing it back," de Blasio said during a Sunday press conference.

Most popular on Time Out

- How you can help the Black Lives Matter movement and protestors
- These local resources connect New Yorkers to black-owned businesses
- Kids’ books about race that celebrate diversity and inclusion
- Five things to know if you’re going out to protest in New York City
- When will hair salons reopen in NYC?