In a press release, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther announced that, after consultation with Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein, he will rescind the emergency order establishing the 10 p.m. curfew since May 30.
In addition, a lawsuit filed in federal court Friday night argued that continuation of the curfew violated the U.S. Constitution because “the widespread acts of vandalism have dissipated.” Those parties will move to dismiss the lawsuit per an agreement reached between the city and plaintiffs.
The lawsuit was filed by lawyers Ed Hastie of Columbus and Mark Ondrejech of Cleveland on behalf of plaintiff Jason Woodland, a Columbus resident and vice president of WK Music & Vending.
“The fact is, this city has seen largely peaceful protests and behavior over the last several evenings,” Hastie said.
He added that his client was “tired of standing idle while the City shut down countless businesses, and effectively locked the entire citizenship in their home under the guise of ‘safety.’ With no end in sight – a lawsuit was our only option.”
The curfew in place for the last seven days will be lifted immediately, and Columbus residents may move about freely. Businesses may also resume normal hours of operation.
“I am pleased that in recent days there has been better communication and greater collaboration between police and protestors, demonstrations have been peaceful, and there have not been any significant acts of violence, vandalism or use of force by police,” said Ginther in a statement. “I encourage people to continue to lift up their voices in peaceful protest, and we will remain laser-focused on implementing meaningful and lasting change to fight racism and discrimination.”