A curfew will shut down New York City from 11 p.m. Monday after four days of protests ended in violence and looting Sunday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.
Speaking on upstate radio station WAMC, the governor said people will be ordered off the streets from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. It's unknown if the curfew will be in place for more than one night.
He later put out a joint press release with Mayor Bill de Blasio.
"I stand behind the protesters and their message, but unfortunately there are people who are looking to distract and discredit this moment," Governor Cuomo said. "The violence and the looting has been bad for the city, the state and this entire national movement, undermining and distracting from this righteous cause. "
De Blasio said, "I support and protect peaceful protest in this city. The demonstrations we've seen have been generally peaceful. We can't let violence undermine the message of this moment. "
Sunday night saw more than 400 people arrested as looters ransacked shops throughout Lower Manhattan, police said.
But the mayor also promised investigations into behavior by some police officers, including two NYPD cruisers that were driven into a crowd of protesters and a cop seen on video pulling a gun on a crowd outside The Strand bookstore in the East Village.
"The Police Commissioner and I have spoken at length about the incidents we've all seen in recent days where officers didn't uphold the values of this city or the NYPD," said de Blasio. "We agree on the need for swift action. He will speak later today on how officers will be held accountable."
De Blasio's own daughter Chiara was among those arrested Saturday night and accused of blocking traffic on Broadway.
The curfew order also drew concern from homeless advocates who pointed out that the people they represent had nowhere to go to get off the streets.
"Under this order people experiencing homelessness face an impossible choice: stay on the street and face possible violence from an overly aggressive police force that is being doubled and given more power to enforce "order" vs. enter shelters where they fear they will be at higher risk of contracting coronavirus," the statement issued by the Partnership for the Homeless said.
