Scott Nishimura
Fort Worth Police Chief Ed Kraus speaks at Monday news conference held by Mayor Betsy Price.
Fort Worth on Monday implemented a 72-hour 8 p.m. citywide curfew, effective Monday, to try and put a lid on looting that broke out on the city’s West Seventh Street corridor after weekend protests over the death of a Minnesota man in police custody last week.
Mayor Betsy Price announced the curfew at an afternoon news conference at Fort Worth City Hall, opening by acknowledging last week's death of George Floyd.
“I wanted to acknowledge first-hand the injustice and tragic death of George Floyd,” Price said. “Everyone is experiencing that tragic loss.”
Price also acknowledged the curfew comes as restaurants and bars are reopening amid COVID-19. “This decision was not made easy, but it comes at the recommendation of our partners and chief of police,” Price said. “We put our heads together and decided what was right for our community.”
City Manager David Cooke, Police Chief Ed Kraus, the diversity and inclusion director Christina Brooks, and police monitor Kim Neal attended the news conference.
On Sunday night, the third of peaceful protests in Fort Worth following last week’s death of George Floyd in Minnesota, about 300 protestors left downtown and began moving toward the West Seventh corridor, Police said.
“We were fine with them doing that,” Kraus said at Monday’s news conference. But bike officers who were monitoring the movement heard some number of protestors saying they “intended to cause damage,” Kraus said.
Bike officers blocked the bridge over the Trinity River to try and push the protestors back downtown. At about 10:15 p.m, police said, some protestors began throwing frozen water bottles at officers. SWAT officers responded with smoke and flash-bangs to disperse the group.
The devices were “momentarily successful,” but several dozen protestors remained and continued to throw frozen water bottles at officers, police said.
Officers responded again with smoke and flash-bangs to “little effect,” police said, and protestors responded by “shooting pyrotechnics toward officers.”
SWAT officers responded with tear gas, police said, but “protestors continued to shoot pyrotechnics at officers. The officers slowly advanced toward the crowd until it dispersed.” Later, police investigated calls of looting in the West Seventh corridor.
Three police officers were wounded, Kraus said during the news conference.
Price said “there have been many [protestors who] have been very peaceful,” but others demonstrated a “blatant disregard for the welfare of others.”