Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has imposed a curfew starting at 8 PM Friday and extending through the weekend, after peaceful protests over the death of an African-American man in police custody escalated into riots and looting.
Nearby St. Paul has imposed a similar measure. The curfew will be in place between 8pm and 6am Friday and Saturday night, expiring on Sunday morning. Violators would be punished by up to a $1,000 fine or up to 90 days in jail.
"During the curfew, all persons must not travel on any public street or in any public place," reads the emergency declaration posted by the mayor.
The curfew came soon after charges were announced for Derek Chauvin earlier on Friday, the Minneapolis police officer implicated in the death of George Floyd, whose last moments alive were captured in a viral video that prompted heated protest throughout the week.
Demonstrations escalated to rioting by Wednesday night, seeing widespread looting, vandalism and arson across Minnesota’s Twin Cities. Thursday night saw the most intense unrest so far, with protesters storming a police station and setting it on fire after officers fell back and abandoned the building.
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