San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed, in consultation with the City’s public safety officials, announced last night that she will implement a citywide curfew beginning Sunday, May 31, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. The curfew requires people within the City of San Francisco to stay indoors from 8:00 p.m. on Sunday until 5:00 a.m. Monday, June 1, 2020. 

The Mayor’s order comes following vandalism and violence yesterday evening, May 30, after a day of peaceful protests following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. This Order shall remain in effect until the Declaration of Local Emergency is terminated, or sooner at the direction of the Mayor.

“The murder of George Floyd is only the latest in a long history of African-American men who have lost their lives as a result of police violence. There is a lot of pain right now here in San Francisco and across the country,” said Mayor Breed. “We’re committed to doing the work to rectify past injustices and continue implementing reforms to ensure that our police force is not just policing our communities, but also a part of them as well. Peaceful protests in San Francisco will continue to have my full support and the full support of the City. Unfortunately, some of the violence and vandalism we saw last night is unacceptable, and we will be instituting a curfew beginning tonight. Please stay safe today. Let’s make our voices heard and keep the focus on George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and everyone else whose death demands our attention.”

Exemptions to the curfew include:

• Peace officers, firefighters, other City and County employees engaged in authorized emergency operations, members of the National Guard, or any other responding personnel deployed to the City and County;
• Individuals who can establish to the satisfaction of a peace officer that they are in such place for the sole purpose of traveling to a home or workplace or to obtain medical assistance;
• Authorized representatives of any news service, newspaper, radio or television station or network, or other media organization;
• People experiencing homelessness.

“Like Mayor Breed, I understand the strong feelings motivating people to protest what happened in Minneapolis, and all of us in the San Francisco Police Department are committed to protecting the constitutional rights and safety of everyone who wishes to express themselves in First Amendment activities,” said San Francisco Police Chief William Scott. “At the same time, we’re also seeing lawlessness and looting that has no place in our City. We will continue to enforce the law and protect public safety, and we ask all San Franciscans to heed the curfew order.”

“The San Francisco Fire Department responded to scores of incidents in the downtown area between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, often for small fires that were quickly contained. We will always support and protect our First Amendment rights. The majority of people taking to the streets are doing it peacefully, powerfully, and with respect and compassion for the cause they’re fighting for,” said Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson. “However, yesterday following a day of peaceful protests, incidents of violence and vandalism ensued. Together we need to protect our communities from those not intent of peaceful protest. This curfew is in place to protect our San Francisco communities—and the safety of all who live and work in our city, and our first responders.”

“The women and men of the Sheriff’s Office are the community of San Francisco,” said Sheriff Paul Miyamoto. “We are people of color, people with family and friends, people who deal with social injustice and inequalities every day. We too are upset and frustrated by George Floyd’s death. When public safety is threatened, we stand by the Mayor and our fellow first responders to protect every resident, prevent further tragedy and violence and ensure a safe resolution.”

“San Francisco has a proud history of standing up against oppression and making our voices heard in the face of injustice,” said Mary Ellen Carroll, Executive Director of the Department of Emergency Management. “But the violence and vandalism we saw last night was shocking and heartbreaking. One of the most important roles our 911 dispatchers provide to public safety is keeping our first responders informed and safe, yet last night our dispatchers were overwhelmed. This curfew is necessary to keep our community safe, and to protect our city’s first responders and essential employees.”

The City and County of San Francisco Department of Emergency Management will be using numerous alerting systems to ensure the public knows about the curfew and to whom it applies. These alerting systems include the Wireless Emergency Alert System, which sends a text message to all cell phones connected to a cell tower in San Francisco; the Emergency Alert System, which airs the emergency message on TV and radio; and AlertSF, the City’s standard emergency alert system that sends a text message or email to registered users. To register for AlertSF text you zip code to 888-777.

Declaration of a Local Emergency

Order Setting Curfew During Local Emergency

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