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Atlantic City keeps nightly curfew for week after protests, looting

Updated  June 1, 2020 8:15pm EDT
Atlantic City
FOX 29 Philadelphia

Atlantic City keeps nightly curfew for week after protests, looting

A.C. was another spot in our area hit hard by looters Sunday night. Dozens of stores – and even a city-run pantry that feeds senior citizens – were all looted.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - This casino resort town was another spot in our area hit hard by looters Sunday night. Dozens of stores – and even a city-run pantry that feeds senior citizens – were all looted.

But on Monday, dozens of volunteers went to help clean up the mess, FOX's Rob DiRienzo reported.

A.C. Mayor Marty Small said his city was quote "under siege" Sunday night.

Worried about a repeat, he’s imposing a 7 p.m. curfew Monday that will continue nightly through the weekend.

The priority all day Monday was picking up the broken pieces.

"On behalf of the City of Atlantic City, I wholeheartedly apologize for yesterday's events," said the Democratic mayor during a news conference held Monday afternoon.

Peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis were overshadowed by violence and looting that continued through Sunday night.

On Monday, the city got down to work picking up the pieces after looters smashed into some businesses and grabbed whatever they could.

"You saw Atlantic City at its worst yesterday and, once again, you see Atlantic City at its best, people coming here to rally, clean up," Small said.

For hours, the protests were primarily peaceful. Then, things escalated into the night, and people began breaking into stores in the retail area.

Monday, people were boarding up and cleaning up.

MORE COVERAGE: Death of George Floyd

"I was basically helping people pick up the trash. I was holding the trash bags with them while they were cleaning up the glass," Patrick Jeanty Jr. told us.

He was one of the volunteers who showed up to lend a hand. The prior night, he was one of the protesters trying keep the peace. But, he said he understands the anger.

"They got to stop killing black people, man," Jeanty said. "… I'm not saying the looting is right. The looting was – I don't want to curse, but the looting was messed up. … Be more mad about the fact that people are dying innocently from police instead of being so damn mad about the looting."

The mayor said the majority of people arrested don't live here. Of the 17 arrested last night, only six were from Atlantic City.

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