Print
Close
Raleigh declares curfew Friday night ahead of planned protests
By Paul Best
Published October 30, 2020
Raleigh, N.C., implemented a curfew at 10 p.m. Friday ahead of two protests planned in the city.
Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said that the state's capital is a place "where people can exercise their rights and have their voices heard," but she is declaring the curfew due to potential civil unrest.
“The threat of civil unrest has created a state of emergency in the City of Raleigh and immediate attention is required to protect the public health and welfare, prevent damage to property, ensure public safety, and render emergency relief," her emergency order said.
PROTESTERS CLASH WITH DC POLICE FOR SECOND NIGHT OVER FATAL MOPED CRASH
According to a flyer distributed by the group NC Born, one of the protests is for Walter Wallace, a Black man who Philadelphia police say they shot and killed after he refused to drop a knife.
It was set to begin at 8:30 p.m., an hour and a half before the curfew.
Another group organizing protests, Smash Racism in Raleigh, tweeted that the protests were canceled and police were detaining people for trespassing.
WRAL reported that businesses in downtown Raleigh were boarding up in anticipation of the protests. It's the fourth time since protests began in May that businesses in the state's capital have prepared for unrest.
The order for Friday night's curfew cited, "events occurring on the weekend of May 30 during and following a protest over the death of George Floyd while he was in the custody of Minneapolis police resulted in significant property damage to numerous Raleigh businesses and buildings."
During that week of protests in early June, 230 property crimes were reported by Raleigh police, resulting in the arrest of 51 people on 95 criminal charges.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/raleigh-curfew-friday-night-protest