Mayor John Cranley today announced that the City of Cincinnati would be under an 11 p.m. curfew through Monday.
The move comes as protests around the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin continue in Cincinnati and across the country.
While some vandalism broke out Friday and Saturday and an officer’s helmet was struck by a bullet Saturday, the protests in Cincinnati have remained largely peaceful otherwise.
Hundreds have been arrested on curfew violations or other charges related to the protests over the past few days — at least 100 of them held outdoors overnight at the Hamilton County Justice Center Sunday.
Yesterday, however, protesters largely dispersed at the city’s 8 p.m. curfew, in part due to an agreement between Cincinnati police and organizers.
“We are looking forward in the opportunity to engage any of the protesters who would like to discuss and engage with us,” Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said.
Isaac says 17 people were arrested last night, including 10 on curfew charges.
The mayor said today that the extended curfew will allow both police and residents of neighborhoods where protests have occurred chances to rest.
“There is a time and a place for everything,” Cranley said. “And at midnight or 1 in the morning, there has to be clarity, there has to be a time-out.”
Cranley acknowledged that the curfew is difficult.
“It’s tough,” he said. “Businesses have been suffering from the coronavirus shutdowns. They all want to get back to work. So it’s a balancing act. We are moving away from 8 p.m. to 11. That’s a significant shift. That’s going to allow the vast majority of restaurants to operate their normal hours.”
This article appears in May 6 – Jun 14, 2020.
