The district attorney for Bronx County, New York, is recommending dropping the charges for 300 protesters arrested during a demonstration in response to the death of George Floyd.
District Attorney Darcel Clark, a Democrat, is planning to file a motion to dismiss "more than 300 summonses" given out June 4 for curfew violations during the protests. Clark said there was "no purpose" prosecuting low-level curfew violations.
"I believe in and encourage our Bronx residents to raise their voices to protest social and racial injustice in a peaceful way," Clark wrote in a statement. "I said back in June that I would not prosecute protesters simply for violating the curfew.
"While my Office does not prosecute summonses, I will file a motion with the court to dismiss these summonses, which were issued June 4 in the Mott Haven section, in the interest of justice. The people who received these summonses are due back in court on them on Oct. 2, 2020."
New York City had a one-night curfew instituted June 1, but Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio extended it for several more days.
"As the COVID-19 virus is still very much with us, and the courts are trying to limit in-person appearances, I believe it serves no purpose to summon hundreds of people to the courthouse for low-level violations," Clark continued. "These unprecedented times require prosecutors to be flexible as well as compassionate."
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.