Philadelphia To Impose Curfew Tonight To Contain Violent Protests - Mayor's Office

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th October, 2020) The US city of Philadelphia is imposing a curfew tonight as a means to contain the ongoing civil unrest that sparked after a Black man was fatally shot by police this week, Mayor Jim Kenney's office said in a press release on Wednesday.

"There will be a citywide curfew which will go into effect on Wednesday, October 28 at 9:00 p.m. [EST] through 6:00 a.m. [10:00 a.m. GMT] on Thursday, October 29," the release said.

Mass riots broke out in Philadelphia on Monday after police officers fatally shot Walter Wallace Jr, a Black man allegedly armed with a knife, who was approaching them despite the order to stop and drop the weapon.

The Mayor's office added that overnight Philadelphia police officers arrested 81 people, more than half were for burglary and eight were for assault on police officers.

A total of 23 police officers were injured overnight and nine police department vehicles were damaged, the release said.

As of Monday, there have been 172 felony or misdemeanor arrests in connection to the ongoing riots and a total of 53 police officers have been injured with one still in the hospital, the release said.

Late Tuesday, the White House said in a statement that the reignited Black Lives Matter protests in Philadelphia are the result of the "Liberal Democrats' war agains the police."

The White House added that the Trump Administration stands with the police and is ready to deploy any Federal resources to restore order.

Issues of racial injustice and police brutality have sparked mass protests and riots throughout the United States since the death of George Floyd in May.