My cell phone went off last night with what I thought was an Amber Alert. To my shock, it was a curfew announcement! The citywide curfew began 8 PM. Saturday and was in effect until 6 AM Sunday. The curfew tonight is from 6 PM Sunday until 6 AM Monday People may leave their homes only to go to work at essential businesses or to seek medical attention or police assistance. The curfew is being enforced by police.
This has nothing at all to do with COVID-19. It's because of the violence and looting which has followed the peaceful protests over the killing by police of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week.
Just as in many other cities, thousands of people gathered in Philadelphia to peacefully protest. Then, just as in other cities, others showed up and began setting cars and businesses on fire, smashing windows, looting, and attacking police officers. According to Federal law enforcement officials, domestic extremist groups, including white supremacists, anarchists, and far-left extremists, are causing some of the violence.
Currently, all Center City streets, the Ben Franklin bridge, and some highway off-ramps are closed. SEPTA announced all service (bus and subway) is suspended within the closed area until further notice due to civil unrest and vandalism.
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All businesses in Center City were ordered to close at 3 PM today. All business owners, as well as anyone else, helping to secure businesses or clean up vandalized properties must return home by 5 PM.
Support from the National Guard has been requested.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, who was hired three months ago said during a press conference:
“I’ve been a Black woman my entire life. I have Black sons. I enforce the law, but there is a very clear narrative here.” That narrative, Outlaw said, stemmed from “a lot of hurt and anger.”
The police commissioner, responding to a question about whether a large percentage of arrests were tied to white people, described the destruction as in “misalignment” with the message carried out by Saturday’s peaceful protesters.
“Frankly, those folks didn’t look like me,” Outlaw said, adding that the destruction was a “slap in the face” and a “setback for everything that’s been accomplished for those working to fix the issues within the criminal justice system.”
It has been so peaceful here all weekend. It's unbelievable that less than 7 miles away, it's been far from peaceful.