Providence lifted its curfew Saturday after a Black Lives Matter demonstration drew at least 10,000 peaceful protesters — and resulted in nine arrests.
“Yesterday, we came together as one city and as one voice to say loud and clear that Black Lives Matter. I want to thank everyone for a peaceful night and for showing this country what unity and strength looks like,” Mayor Jorge Elorza said Saturday in a statement. The 9 p.m. curfew was originally going to remain in effect until Tuesday.
On Friday, thousands gathered downtown at Kennedy Plaza before marching to the Statehouse, where the crowd swelled in size. Many chanted, “No justice, no peace,” and “I can’t breathe” — George Floyd’s plea in his last moments to the white Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee into the handcuffed black man’s neck on Memorial Day.
Police, some of whom knelt in solidarity with demonstrators, said only a few unruly protesters were taken into custody.
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