No vandalism, 4 curfew arrests as Sacramento has seventh straight night of protests

Sacramentans took to the streets by the hundreds to protest police brutality for the seventh straight evening Thursday, but as has been the case for much of the week, the public gathering was peaceful.

Sacramento Police report the group dispersed without incident, unlike during last weekend when vandals broke hundreds of windows and looted some stores, including the downtown Macy’s on Saturday night.

”We had four arrests, all for curfew, no reports of vandalism or looting,” police spokesman Karl Chan said on Friday morning.

The city established an 8 p.m. curfew on Monday and expects to maintain that curfew through the weekend.

Mayor Darrell Steinberg said the city imposed the curfew reluctantly, but wanted to give the police an extra tool to limit property damage. That appears to have worked, but leaders and community members are also crediting protesters and protest leaders for taking their own steps to protect the city against vandals, in some cases earlier in the week standing in front of buildings to stop people from smashing windows.

Early Friday afternoon, City Councilman Steve Hansen called for an immediate end or dramatic reduction to the citywide curfew, around the same time Gov. Gavin Newsom during a news conference urged city mayors to “pull back” on the use of curfew and National Guard enforcement.

The American Civil Liberties Union had sent a letter to the city of Sacramento, protesting the curfew, saying it is a violation of civil rights, and notably does not include protections for homeless people who spend the night on the streets.

Another major protest is set for downtown Sacramento on Saturday morning.

This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 8:56 AM.