Statement of Attorney General Jennifer Davenport on Delaney Hall Protests

“We are grateful for the many peaceful individuals who exercised their right to protest and complied with the City of Newark’s curfew order tonight. Beginning at 8:15 p.m. tonight, people gathered in the zone covered by the curfew order were given numerous warnings, in English and Spanish, to leave the area by 9 p.m. Many protesters complied with the curfew order. But a group of individuals who had come to the protest armed with helmets, shields, or gas masks deliberately refused to comply with repeated orders to leave the area and were arrested. Their actions put the public at risk, and I am grateful to law enforcement for de-escalating the situation.

We remain firmly committed to protecting the right to peaceful protest and to protecting the safety of the public. We will continue to work with Governor Sherrill and her administration to ensure that all people detained at Delaney Hall are treated with dignity and humanity."