After protest turned violent for a second night in Virginia cities, Gov. Ralph Northam declared a curfew in Richmond on Sunday, and activated the Virginia National Guard.
Richmond will be under a 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. curfew starting today and ending June 3.
Northam also authorized $350,000 in state funds for state and local governments to coordinate recovery responses.
According to Sunday’s executive order, unlawful assemblies occurred in Richmond, Prince William County, and Roanoke over the past 24 hours, resulting in “injuries to peaceful protestors and first responders, significant property damage, and the continued escalation of violent events.”
The executive order follows protests in the state over the weekend that ended in arrests and injuries.
On Saturday in Richmond, looting and fires broke out as violence overcame peaceful protests between demonstrators and police. According to Richmond Police, a man was shot and seriously injured late last night, and police have no suspect at this time.
A similar scene unfolded in Prince William County last night, resulting in the arrest of five people, after the police declared an unlawful assembly. State police reportedly used pepper spray and powder to dispel protesters.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she chose not to put a curfew on the District Sunday because she said it wouldn’t be followed anyway.
Colleen Grablick