ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. - An extended curfew has been issued as protests continued overnight Wednesday following a judges ruling to delay public release of the videothat depicts the scene in which Andrew Brown Jr., was killed.
Starting Friday, April 30, the curfew will begin at midnight and end at 6 a.m.
According to city officials, anyone wishing to protest or gather must fill out the proper paperwork. Click here for the form.
The form says that protesters must give at least 15 days notice before assembly, but the city manager is currently fast tracking applications and offering a 15-day grace period.
Keith Rivers, head of the local NAACP branch, and his brother Kirk obtained a permit on Friday afternoon that lasts through May 15. "We're not trying to get sidetracked by small issues," said Kirk. "We just want to make sure that we continue to bring people out."
Protests continued on Thursday night for a ninth night. Four people were arrested for violating the curfew, the police chief said.
Some have criticized the city for putting a curfew into place in the first place, arguing it's only added to the tension. The City Manager, Montre Freeman, defended the curfew, saying there were a few incidents of violence, including someone throwing rocks at police. "When the statement is made that it's all peaceful, it has been 99-percent peaceful, but it only takes that one-percent," said Freeman.
The city's mayor also said city leadership made the decision together. They wanted to protect the protesters and property. "We're doing all we can to make sure we stay on an even keel - that we allow the protesters the space they need and that we keep everyone else in this city safe as well as the property," said Mayor Bettie Parker.
When addressing protests, The American Civil Rights Union (ACLU) says, "Many permit procedures require that the application be filed several weeks in advance of the event. However, the First Amendment prohibits such an advance notice requirement from being used to prevent rallies or demonstrations that are rapid responses to unforeseeable and recent events." Click here for more from the ACLU.
Residents can only break curfew to travel for work or for emergencies.
Travel to places like stores and gas stations, or for other non-emergency situations should take place outside of curfew hours.
This curfew will be in effect until further notice.
Several arrests have been made this week for disorderly conduct and the Elizabeth City Police Chief said there were four more arrests for curfew violations Thursday night.
