There will not be another mandatory curfew Monday night in Jacksonville.
Mayor Lenny Curry tweeted out the news around 5 p.m. Monday, saying he made the decision with Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams. Curry said he appreciates the cooperation from people in the city.
However, he added, the city does “have the capacity should the need arise.”
With the help of law abiding citizens and the hard work of law enforcement, Sheriff Williams @jsosheriff and I have decided to rescind the curfew tonight. We have the capacity should the need arise, but we very much appreciate the cooperation of the people of our city.
— Lenny Curry (@lennycurry) June 1, 2020
Like other parts of the country, Downtown Jacksonville was the site of weekend protests tied to the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis last week.
Jacksonville’s protests were also aimed at raising transparency surrounding the police-involved shooting deaths of three black men in Jacksonville over the last six months.
Citing “criminal activity” that threatened first responders, Curry imposed an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew Sunday night into Monday morning.
While the protests began peacefully in Jacksonville, tension between the police and demonstrators grew, leading to violence, damaged property, and arrests.
Sheriff Mike Williams told WJCT News partner News4Jax an officer’s throat was also slashed in the chaos.
While the protests began peacefully, tension between the police and demonstrators grew, leading to violence, damaged property, and arrests.
Sheriff Mike Williams told WJCT News partner News4Jax an officer’s throat was also slashed in the chaos.
At least two stores in Jacksonville were closed Monday because of the protests. Nordstrom at the St. Johns Town Center and the Nordstrom Rack at The Markets at Town Center were both shut down.
Nordstrom made the decision to close its stores nationwide, writing in an email to customers, “We continue to be heartbroken by the senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and too many others, and by the deep pain and division we’re seeing across the country.”
Nordstrom advised customers to check its website for the latest on when the stores would reopen.
