D.C. Calls Off Curfew After a Night of Protests Without Arrests

D.C.’s days-long imposed curfew is officially over, which means protesters and patio diners are free to roam around the city for as long as they like tonight.

Thursday, June 4, marks the seventh anticipated day of citywide protests against police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. Yesterday’s demonstrations at the Capitol, near Lafayette Square, and outside Trump International Hotel proved to be arrest/injury-free, causing Mayor Muriel Bowser to lift a nightly curfew that’s been in effect since Monday. Last night’s deadline to clear the streets was extended from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. (until 6 a.m.).

The mandated curfew was in response to the vandalization, broken windows, and late-night looting many D.C. restaurants, landmarks, and businesses sustained over the weekend.

NYC also imposed a curfew Monday night for similar reasons, but Mayor Bill de Blasio’s last-minute call to close down the city early caused chaos and confusion. The emergency curfew order largely lacked clarity and guidance, causing restaurant and food delivery workers to scramble to figure out how it applied to them.

After D.C.’s first imposed curfew on Monday, one reliable pizza place kept delivery going well into the night to accommodate a now-famous house of hungry protesters. Duccini’s pizza in Adams Morgan snuck a delivery through a police blockade on Swann Street NW to feed a group taking refuge inside the residence of a good Samaritan.

Other D.C. restaurants opted to close early (Cranes), for a day (Uncaged Chefs), or entirely (Reverie) this week to stand in solidarity with the cause. Shouk is showing support by donating a percentage of this week’s proceeds to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

• Abrupt NYC Curfew Sparks Confusion for Restaurant And Food Delivery Workers [ENY]
• A Clandestine Duccini’s Pizza Delivery Fed Protesters Sheltering in a D.C. Rowhouse [EDC]
• After Protest-Filled Weekend, D.C. Institutes 7 P.M. Curfew Through Tuesday [EDC]
• Multiple D.C. Restaurants Stand in Solidarity With Protesters While Suffering Property Damage [EDC]