PHOENIX – Gov. Ducey’s Executive Order has laid out a number of exemptions for the weeklong curfew that is set to take effect Sunday night.
On Sunday, Gov. Ducey announced a statewide curfew amid ongoing unrests. Gov. Ducey’s decision came amid growing protest over police brutality and recent police-involved deaths. Protests and unrest have taken place in various U.S. cities, including Salt Lake City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Tampa, and Minneapolis, where George Floyd’s death occurred.
In Phoenix, protesters have taken to the streets of Downtown Phoenix for three nights in a row, with another protest planned for Sunday night. Also on Saturday night, unrest and looting took place in the area of the Scottsdale Fashion Square, resulting in property damage.
According to the Governor’s Executive Order, the curfew will last from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., from May 31 to June 8.
During the hours of the curfew, which is described in the executive order as “limited,” everyone is prohibited from using, standing, sitting, traveling or being present on any public street or in any public place, including for the purpose of travel.
The executive order lists a number of exemptions, including:
- Traveling directly to and from work
- Attending religious services
- Obtaining food
- Caring for a family member, friend or animal
- Patronizing and operating private business
- Seeking medical care
- Fleeing dangerous circumstances
- Traveling for any of the services listed above
In addition, the following people have also been given exemptions:
- All law enforcement
- Firefighters
- Paramedics or other medical personnel
- National Guard, or other emergency response personnel authorized by the State of Arizona
- Credentialled members of the media
Violation of the curfew, according to the executive order, is a Class 1 misdemeanor that is punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of $2,500.
Police in some Arizona cities say they will not enforce Governor Ducey’s curfew.
In Holbrook, police officials say, on the department’s unverified Facebook page, that the area has not seen riots like those in other parts of the country.
“As such, we feel that enforcing a curfew would have a negative effect upon our city,” read a portion of the post. “We as a department respect the constitutional rights of our citizens and we will not infringe upon these God given rights.”
Police officials in Williams say the Northern Arizona city will also not enforce the curfew.
“Businesses can remain open and we will not force people to stay in after 8:00 pm if you have a legitimate reason to be out,” a portion of the Facebook post reads. “Our wonderful community of Williams thankfully has had no issues with riots, fights, fires, etc.”
In Tucson, Mayor Regina Romero said, via her unverified Twitter account, that neither she nor Tucson Police chief Chris Magnus were notified of the decision, and that she learned of the curfew via Gov. Ducey’s tweet.
“We have less than 6 hrs to plan and have not seen the [Executive Order],” Mayor Romero tweeted. At the time of the tweet, Gov. Ducey’s executive order was not released.
