Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced Monday a two-day extension of the curfew to prevent unrest during protests over the death of African-American George Floyd on May 25 during a police arrest, noting that the Floyd’s funeral will be held this Tuesday.
“It will be an important event for both the city of Minneapolis and Minnesota and for the nation to see the process of celebrating a life that was taken from us, an opportunity to show leadership,” said Walz at a press conference.
Walz also reported that he has signed an executive order after consulting with local authorities to extend the curfew for two days in the city of Minneapolis and its twin city, St. Paul. The curfew hours will be from 22:00 to 04:00.
“The only way these things work is the way we have seen the last two nights,” he said, referring to the deployment of the National Guard since Saturday to prevent looting and attacks such as police station fires. “The vast majority will comply,” he stressed.
Thousands of people have demonstrated across the country after Floyd’s death on May 25, after being reduced with a knee to the neck by a white agent who is already detained and charged with third-degree murder.
