WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — West Palm Beach has lifted its state of emergency and nighttime curfew, effective immediately.
Mayor Keith James issued the curfew on May 31 after he said protests on Interstate 95 took a violent turn when demonstrators started hurling rocks and bottles at police officers.
In the days that followed, subsequent protests throughout the city have remained peaceful.
James released this statement Monday morning:
"I am pleased to share that, effective immediately, I am lifting the nighttime curfew and declaration of state of emergency (civil unrest) for our city. This past week has been an especially difficult time for everyone. I thank the residents and business owners for working with us, as we worked to keep the public safe. During this time, we had only eight arrests and no reports of damage to property after Sunday evening. In the last week, more than 4,000 people protested peacefully at more than five demonstrations in our city. I know that the curfew was instrumental in protecting our citizens, our businesses and the demonstrators."
Over the last week, protests have taken place throughout West Palm Beach on almost a daily basis with thousands of citizens demanding justice following the police-involved death of George Floyd in Minnesota.
However, outside of the violent rallies on May 31, all of the demonstrations have remained peaceful.
