NEW YORK _ Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance on Friday said his office will decline to prosecute marchers arrested for breaking the city's 8 p.m. curfew while out protesting the death of George Floyd _ and he commended New Yorkers for sticking up for their civil liberties.
"The prosecution of protesters charged with these low-level offenses undermines critical bonds between law enforcement and the communities we serve. Days after the killing of George Floyd, our nation and our city are at a crossroads in our continuing endeavor to confront racism and systemic injustice wherever it exists," Vance said in a statement.
"We commend the thousands of our fellow New Yorkers who have peacefully assembled to demand these achievable aims, and our door is open to any New Yorker who wishes to be heard," he added.
The office's previous policy was to offer protesters charged with low-level offenses, like disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly, an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal _ meaning that if they weren't arrested again within six months, their case would be dismissed.
New York Police Department officers have arrested hundreds of protesters who have taken to the streets in the days following Floyd's brutal death on May 25 in Minneapolis at the hands of a white cop. Floyd's dying words of "I can't breathe" galvanized a nation-wide protest movement against police brutality. In New York City, as in cities across the country, peaceful protest movements were hijacked over last weekend by other groups with a less law-abiding agenda.
Widespread property destruction coupled with marauding groups who looted luxury retailers and mom-and-pop stores prompted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to impose an 8 p.m. curfew on New York City until June 8 _ a step taken by many other mayors in cities were violence and pillaging supplanted social justice marches at night.
Under the order signed Monday by de Blasio, anyone caught violating the curfew is subject to arrest and can be charged with a class B misdemeanor, which is often punishable by up to 90 days in jail.
Essential workers and homeless New Yorkers are exempt from the mandate, though some in that category have accidentally been arrested past curfew.
As of Wednesday, a total of 1,730 people had been arrested during protests in Manhattan since May 29, with the vast majority being issued summonses or desk appearance tickets, according to the NYPD.
Vance's office is the first in the city to stop prosecuting protesters after a letter urging them to halt the practice was sent to all of the DAs on June 1 from state Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Democrat, who chairs the Judiciary Committee.
Manhattan prosecutors were still in the process of arraigning a caseload of defendants Friday afternoon, one of whom had been waiting since Monday to stand before a judge.
