Dear Neighbor,
The City of Berkeley issued the following news release today:
City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley, in her capacity as the Director of Emergency Services and in consultation with Police Chief Andrew Greenwood, has
rescinded a nighttime citywide curfew
as attempted incursions by those seeking to loot or commit crimes in Berkeley have significantly subsided over the past two nights
.
These criminal incidents have also diminished throughout the region on consecutive nights, meaning that there is greater regional capacity for agencies to assist each other.
"This type of sustained, coordinated, nighttime looting seen in Berkeley and around the region has not been seen in modern history," said Williams-Ridley. "The use of a nighttime curfew, an extraordinary tool for an extraordinary circumstance, is no longer necessary."
"Berkeley Police will closely monitor the situation in the days to come," said Police Chief Greenwood, adding "community members and merchants should do the same."
This decision comes after six consecutive days of a full mobilization of the Berkeley Police force, which was quickly responding to criminal attempts throughout the city and made numerous arrests. Yet, some looting continued. It wasn't until Monday night
—
the first night of
the curfew
—
that looters were prevented from raiding Berkeley businesses.
***
Please stay healthy and safe. In my next newsletter, I look forward to sharing more about how we can seize this moment to advance the cause of racial justice in our community.
In solidarity,
