A curfew for downtown Dallas has been lifted, effective immediately. City manager T. C. Broadnax signed the order Saturday and it has been published on the city’s website.
The central Dallas curfew has been lifted.
— City of Dallas (@CityOfDallas) June 6, 2020
As a reminder, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dallas residents are safest at home. https://t.co/Kwy5EQ9a5f pic.twitter.com/6WbMzHtMrs
“We’ve seen many moving and peaceful protests over the last few days, some of which I joined,” Broadnax said in a statement. “We heard feedback from residents ready to open and conduct business in central Dallas and we agree it’s time. The City of Dallas and the Dallas Police Department continue to respect and protect the rights of peaceful demonstrators. We must also remember we are still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and Dallas residents are safest at home.”
Dallas imposed a curfew on the city’s downtown and other central neighborhoods on May 31. It was a response to violence and vandalism in the wake of protests against police brutality spurred by the death of George Floyd. The city expanded the curfew on June 2 to cover a larger geographic area.
The decision to lift the curfew follows criticism of the city's handling of the past week's protests. During an eight-hour city council meeting on Friday, as KERA reported earlier, "Dallasites demanded the firing of Police Chief Renee Hall, called on the City Council to defund the Police Department, questioned the use of tear gas and so-called- less-than-lethal-weapons and requested the citywide curfew be lifted."
Several more protests are expected through the weekend and a couple for the upcoming week. A protest on Saturday in downtown attracted thousands of people.
The protests continue in Dallas, Tx but the curfew's now been lifted. @keranews pic.twitter.com/WxOfu6fT5n
— BILL ZEEBLE (@bzeeble) June 6, 2020