“Effective immediately, I have rescinded my order instituting a citywide curfew. My goal has always been to not have the curfew in place a single day longer than was necessary.

My number one priority in instituting a curfew was to ensure the public peace, safety, health and welfare of Baltimore citizens. It was not an easy decision, but one I felt was necessary to help our city restore calm.

I want to thank the people of Baltimore for their patience during this difficult time as we continue to come together to heal and restore our City.”

The rescinding of the citywide curfew order comes on the heels of City state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby’s announcement Friday that six police officers involved in the arrest and transport of Freddie Gray, who died April 19 in police custody, were being criminally charged.

The decision to rescind the citywide curfew also follows peaceful protests and rallies Friday and Saturday in the wake of Mosby’s announcement. In the last several days, particularly after the indictments against the police officers, which included a charge of second-degree murder against one officer, calls for ending the curfew immediately grew louder both from the small business community and protestors.

Later Sunday afternoon, at Mondawmin Mall, Rawlings-Blake announced that the longtime West Baltimore shopping center, which had been closed since rioting and looting there last Monday, was re-opening today.

At a small press conference in the Mondawmin parking lot after a tour of the mall, Rawlings-Blake said the Maryland National Guard will not immediately leave city today, but will begin drawing back their presence over the next week. “It’s not like you flip a switch,” Rawlings-Blake said. “They have to unwind their operations.”

Whether the decision to lift the curfew came too early, or too late, only time will tell, Rawlings-Blake said. “You’ll let me know,” she told reporters. But she added that she believes the worst of the crisis in the city is over and the state of affairs is improving in Baltimore.

‘Right now I’m very confident [the worst of unrest has passed.],” Rawlings-Blake said. “What we saw over the past few days [referencing the peaceful demonstrations], is not just the resiliency of our city, but also our communities coming together. We want to heal our city. We know we have challenges in Baltimore. We know there is work to be done.”

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While the merits of a curfew for public safety are up for debate (former police commissioner Ed Norris said last night he would have advised against it), the affect it will have on the livelihood of those in the service industry is a bit more obvious. Losing four hours of business a night has some bartenders worried about retaining customers, paying bills, and even renewing their liquor licenses.

“The curfew is tough because, for a lot of us, it’s the difference in paying bills and making our mortgage,” says Amie Ward who bartends at Bad Decisions in Fells Point. “We have great regulars who are trying to patronize the bars as much as they can, but you can’t ask them too much because we want them to be safe.”

Ward also points out this is incredibly poor timing because the deadline for renewing—very expensive—liquor licenses is this Friday, May 1.

Some in the service industry even formed a Facebook group called Baltimore’s Counter-Curfew, which calls for lifting the curfew as soon as possible. The site states:

We cannot and must not allow ourselves to pay the price for failed leadership in the face of the Mayor’s incompetence in squelching the chaos on OUR streets yesterday. The Mayor’s curfew will do nothing but cripple business and negatively impact the city’s economy to the level of tens of millions of dollars in mere days. This is an utterly flawed strategy: criminals don’t obey curfews, why should we.

Certain bars, like Bookmakers Cocktail Club in Federal Hill, have made concessions like opening at up at noon instead of its normal 5 p.m. to try and boost business. Of course, the adverse effects from the curfew not only affect bars, but also the entire service industry.

“It will be slow all week for restaurant owners and employees,” says Eric Fooy of B&O American Brasserie. “If you live paycheck-to-paycheck—like most people who make tips do—you will feel the hit.”

Though only minimal damage occurred in Fells Point on Monday night (including a break-in at Capitol Mac), many bars and restaurants in the neighborhood have preemptively boarded up their windows, just to be on the safe side. But it gives the lively neighborhood a very eerie feel.

“It’s been a ghost town,” Ward says. “I think it sends the wrong message. You have better safety in numbers and we’d all feel safer having that foot traffic that’s normally down here. The curfew seems to invite more of a problem.”

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It is the first time the National Guard has been deployed because of civil unrest in the state since the aftermath of April 4, 1968 assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. The current violence and unrest comes in the wake of protests around the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died in police custody nine days ago.

For the second straight day, the Orioles have announced, tonight’s game against the Chicago White Sox will be postponed and a possible double-header will be played tomorrow. Wednesday’s game will played at 2:05 p.m. and will be closed to the public.

The National Guard remains a visible presence around the city today, from West Baltimore, where riots first broke out, to City Hall and the Inner Harbor. More than 500 National Guardsmen are here supporting the operation, with a target of 2,000 troops activated to provide support by the end of the day, according to a statement this afternoon from Hogan’s office. There are also more than 400 state troopers and other allied law enforcement officers from Maryland in Baltimore as well as 300 law enforcement from Pennsylvania, 150 from New Jersey, and 45 from the District of Columbia. So far there have been more than 200 arrests and at least 19 structure fires. From surrounding counties, 37 fire engines, eight truck companies, and two heavy rescue units from surrounding counties have been called.

It’s worth noting that the executive order, which can be found here, is also perquisite for potential federal assistance.

The National Guard will remain activated until the state of emergency is lifted.

The governor, who has set up an office in Baltimore, was scheduled this morning to meet with faith and community.

Also last night, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced that city officials are imposing a weeklong curfew, starting this evening, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The new, weeklong curfew that the mayor issued last night and begins this evening requires people to be off city roads and out of “public places” unless they are driving to or from work or have a medical emergency. A violation of the curfew, which is laid out below, places constitutes a misdemeanor offense and places individuals at risk of arrest.

From the official curfew order:

The curfew applies to all persons within the City of Baltimore, including those traveling through the City of Baltimore, excluding only 1) public safety officers; 2) persons working for the federal, state, or local law enforcement; 3) legislative offices and their aides; 4) persons employed by a health care facility, who are traveling to or from a health care facility 5) people going to and from work; 6) and individuals traveling through Baltimore City via I-95 and who are not driving into the city. No person located within the City of Baltimore may be in a public place during the curfew, whether in a vehicle or on foot. No person within the City of Baltimore may engage in a march, parade, assembly or demonstration on a public place, whether during the curfew period or during other hours unless the event has a previously issued permit.

The new curfew is on top of the city’s current juvenile curfew, in place since last year, which requires minors under 14 years of age to be indoors by 9 p.m. on school nights. Minors under 17 years of age are required to be indoors by 10 p.m. on school nights and 11 p.m. on weekends.

In addition to the ongoing curfew for juveniles: “Minors may not be in a public place except when accompanied by the minor’s parent; when strictly necessary to travel to and from school when required to be at school, and when going to or returning from an official school, religious, or other recreational activity supervised by adults and sponsored by the City of Baltimore, a civic organization, or another similar entity that takes responsibility for the minor.”

Also: “No operator of an establishment or his agents or employees may knowingly permit any minor to remain on the premises of that establishment if that minor’s presence would violate the subsection above.”

At noon Monday, Rawlings-Blake’s office sent out an email to business and community leaders clarifying specific questions about the curfew.

The mayor’s office’s letter:

Dear Business and Community Leaders,
Many businesses have asked about the curfew policy being implemented tonight and its impact on business hours and employees. Below are key points:
1. The night-time curfew applies for all citizens (with exceptions of emergency personnel and those commuting to and from work for essential functions, including students traveling to/from classes).
2. Non-essential business operations should be suspended from 10:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. This includes restaurants, entertainment venues and bars, which should be closed during these times. Please ensure visitors and patrons have enough time to travel before the curfew begins.
3. For essential business operations, employees traveling to and from work during the curfew should have a valid picture ID (presumably a driver’s license) and a document from their employer stating their need to work during curfew hours with dates and employee hours.
4. Drivers or individuals may be stopped by law enforcement and should be prepared with the information above to avoid arrest.
The curfew will begin today, Tuesday, April 28th at 10:00 p.m. and be in place for approximately one week (or until needed).

Finally, also at noon, the mayor’s office said Rawlings-Blake will be meeting with clergy at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Bethel A.M.E. Church on Druid Hill Avenue to discuss church strategies to protect City residents from vandalism and violent protests and that she will update the public on the latest developments in the protests and rioting in the city.

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