Max Rose calls for National Guard to be deployed to NYC to enforce curfew

Rep. Max Rose, a New York Democrat representing Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, called for the National Guard to be deployed to New York City to enforce the curfew put in place to mitigate violent protests over the death of George Floyd. 

“Last night demonstrated that the Mayor has lost control of [the] situation once and for all. If we are going to enforce an 8:00 p.m. curfew tonight, then the National Guard must be deployed to assist with that and that alone,” Rose said in a statement Tuesday. 

Rose underscored his comments by noting that the “majority of the protests” on Monday “were peaceful.” 

“The mayhem that occurred in parts of the city last night — the unprecedented looting and attacks on officers and bystanders — was not the work of peaceful protesters,” he said. “It was not part of the movement to ensure justice for George Floyd and other victims of police brutality. And anyone who would say so is being dishonest at best.”

A spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) was not immediately available for comment. 

New York imposed an 8 p.m. curfew for Tuesday night following an 11 p.m. curfew that had been set the night before. 

Other cities have imposed similar curfews as well as activated the National Guard. 

Rose’s call comes as New York City has experienced fires, violence, vandalism and looting throughout the area in the past few days as a result of the protests. In SoHo, a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, luxury stores were looted and glass was broken Sunday night. 

On Monday evening, as law enforcement fired tear gas into a crowd of peaceful protesters outside the White House, President Trump warned that he would deploy troops to cities and states that refused to “dominate” their streets with National Guard deployments. 

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signaled that he would not heed the president’s calls, and said Trump’s actions were “shameful.”

“The president is calling out the American military against American citizens,” Cuomo tweeted Monday. 

“He used the military to push out a peaceful protest so he could have a photo op at a church,” he added. “It’s all just a reality TV show for this president. Shameful.” 

Protests emerged nationwide last week in response to Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody. 

Floyd died after an officer knelt on his neck for several minutes as he pleaded for air. The officer, Derek Chauvin, was fired and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Three other officers at the scene were fired but not charged.