Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a 9 p.m. curfew in Chicago effective immediately at a press conference Saturday.
Protesters and police clashed violently Saturday evening as crowds returned to downtown Chicago for a second day of protests as outrage continues to pulse across the United States in the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd.
Noting her “total disgust” for rioters hitting downtown Chicago, the mayor announced a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. “until further notice” effective Saturday night.
Giving protesters 35-minute notice that she called “ample,” Lightfoot said violators of the curfew would be taken into custody.
“The situation has clearly devolved, and we’ve stepped in to make the necessary arrests… We’re going to be aggressive in arresting the people who want to engage in criminal acts.”
In a statement, city officials said the curfew is “enforceable by law and restricts people from remaining in any public place — including but not limited to streets and highways, and common areas of schools, hospitals, office buildings and shops; or on the premises of any establishment — defined as any privately owned business operated for a profit to which the public is invited.”
Watch the full press conference here: