The restrictions imposed during recent racial justice protests have their roots in efforts to “contain” Black Americans.
There had been several nights of protests over the police killing of George Floyd before Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf issued a curfew as a “last resort.” What had started as a peaceful solidarity march devolved when some protesters broke from the crowd and began smashing windows.
By the time Schaaf made her announcement on June 1 to ban some people from going outside after 8 p.m., stores had been burglarized, cars set on fire, and tear gas deployed by police. “We did not make this decision lightly,” Schaaf said in a press release, “and we are mindful that a curfew is a serious tool that has been used by American governments as a tool of oppression and racial bias.”
Read more at Bloomberg CityLab.