LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Little Rock’s mayor on Monday lifted the city’s nighttime curfew as Arkansas’ governor deactivated National Guardsmen he had mobilized to respond to protests over the death of George Floyd.
Mayor Frank Scott said he was lifting the 10 p.m. curfew, which he had imposed last week because of the protests and the coronavirus outbreak. Scott’s decision came after a weekend of peaceful protests in Arkansas’ capital over Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
Floyd died May 25 after an officer pressed his knee into his neck for almost nine minutes, even after Floyd stopped moving and pleading for air.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Monday directed the Arkansas National Guard to deactivate the 570 guards that had been mobilized to respond to Floyd demonstrations, the guard announced. Hutchinson last week declared a state of emergency in response to the protests. The guard said the deactivation process will begin Monday and go through Wednesday.