After a week of protests and unrest in Baltimore, the mayor has lifted the curfew, and National Guard has started to leave the area.
According to CNN, Saturday night continued to follow a few days of peaceful and calm protests. Stephanie Rawlings Blake released a statement about the lifted curfew and her thoughts on the city rebuilding after looting destroyed a CVS building and other establishments following Freddie Gray's funeral on Monday.
"Effective immediately, I have rescinded my order instituting a city-wide curfew," she said in a statement. "My goal has always been to not have the curfew in place a single day longer than was necessary." The curfew intially started at 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., and was expected to end on Tuesday. The National Guard has also launched plans to reduce its presence.
"My number one priority in instituting a curfew was to ensure the public peace, safety, health and welfare of Baltimore citizens," Rawlings-Blake said. "It was not an easy decision, but one I felt was necessary to help our city restore calm."
She also says that the difference will show once the National Guard is fully removed from the city. When asked if the move was too soon, the mayor shot down predictions that unrest will continue to follow after the officers are removed.
"It will either be too long or too early," she said. "You'll let me know afterward."
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan also spoke on the withdrawal of troops, stating the high number of National Guard officers. "It will take a couple days, maybe about 72 hours," he said. "We've already started to withdraw. It will take a little while. We brought 4,000 people in."
Source: CNN | Photo Credit: Splash News
