The Jefferson County Commission on Tuesday placed the entire county under a curfew.
The curfew will be in effect Tuesday, June 2 and last through June 9, 2020. The curfew will run from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The curfew is in response to unrest that erupted in Birmingham on Sunday night. Though most of the protests during the day were peaceful, dozens of businesses were burglarized and many buildings suffered damages from vandals later in the evening.
The chaotic events Sunday night followed a peaceful protest over allegations of police brutality and social injustice. These protests followed the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis.
Many of Jefferson County’s 68 municipalities had already imposed local curfews.
“No one deserved what happened last night in this city, we call home, Birmingham,’’ Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a statement. “Birmingham, this is not us. This is not who we are. This is not how we taught the world how to protest.’’
Birmingham imposed a curfew earlier this year to slow the spread of COVID-19, but that was lifted in May. Health officials have expressed concerns that the protests and mass gatherings will lead to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Alabama.
There have been at least 18,554 confirmed cases in Alabama and 651 COVID-19 deaths.
The Jefferson County curfew will be enforced by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies in unincorporated parts of the County and in those municipalities that rely on the Sheriff’s Department for their police protection.
In those municipalities with police forces, the authority to enforce the curfew will rest with local police departments.
Persons violating the curfew resolution can be fined up to $500 and/or jailed for up to six months if convicted.
A relief fund for the small businesses that were damaged Sunday night has been established.
