“They exhibited and had stuff that showed that they were there to cause issues, to cause problems. Other than those five it was a relatively quiet night,” Heck said.
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“It is a trend that not just Springfield is seeing but communities across the country are seeing. A lot of the people that are coming in and protesting not in the peaceful way of protesting, but using violence and vandalism as the means to protest, are individuals that don’t even live in those communities,” he added.
The curfew was first enacted Monday evening following incidents of property damage and vandalism that occurred Sunday night and into Monday morning. It is expected to end Wednesday morning, but could be extended with an amendment to the current order.
However, Heck said Tuesday that the city has no intention to extend the curfew at this time.
The curfew pertains to several blocks that make up the core of the downtown area. Its borders include a northern one at East North Street, the western border is Center Street, the eastern border is Spring Street and the Southern border is West Jefferson Street.
A 23-year-old man, believed to be from Columbus, and 14-year-old boy, from Springfield, were arrested Monday evening on Center Street after refusing to leave the curfew area, according to a copy of the police report.
The report said that a book bag carried by one of the suspects contained a black gas mask, gloves, several small cartons of milk and grocery bag with several eggs as well as other miscellaneous items. They told officers that they had come to the “designated curfew area” to protest, the report added.
A 20-year-old man, a 17-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy were arrested on South Limestone Street after not complying with officers who told them to leave, according to the police report.
MORE: Springfield leaders praise peaceful protests, condemn vandalism
City officials said on Monday that those who violate the curfew and do not leave the area after being warned by law enforcement will be arrested. They said it has been put in place in order to protect members of the community, those who wish to gather there as well as local law enforcement.
Businesses within the curfew area are required to close at 6 p.m.
Property damage occurred Sunday night and early Monday morning after police dispersed a group of people that were gathered near the Clark County Common Pleas Courthouse.
It was reported that 15 window were broken at City Hall. The owner of a building on East Main Street reported that 17 windows were broken after a board and bricks were thrown, according to the police report. A window was smashed at Clark State’s Brinkman Educational Center and several peace officer training vehicles sustained damage.
The front window of Un Mundo Cafe on South Fountain Avenue was shattered. Its co-owner Duke Level said that the incident has added on to what has already been a rough few months for small business owners. The cafe has been closed for three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic and expects to reopen on June 15.
A demonstration had occurred in downtown Springfield Sunday afternoon, which saw hundreds of people in attendance. The protesters marched throughout the downtown area before returning back to Clark County Common Pleas Courthouse area. By 6 p.m., its leaders and organizers along with a majority of the protesters had left. However, some lingered.
Leaders of the protest had coordinated with city officials and local law enforcement. The demonstration was held in order to protest racial injustices as well as the killing of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody last week.
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City officials praised the protest. But condemned acts of vandalism that was committed by a small group of people later that night.
“The people need to understand that peaceful assembly with or without a permit in times like this has to be expected. However, rioting is never accepted. The damage that is caused and the harm that is caused not only to police officers and people trying to protect us cannot be tolerated,” City Commissioner Kevin O’Neill said during Tuesday’s meeting.
An effort was made to disperse a crowd that was still gathered around the courthouse area at 8 p.m., Sunday evening. However, those gathered were allowed to stay as long as they did not block the road or engage in criminal activity, said Springfield Police Cheif Lee Graf. A second attempt to push the crowd occurred around 11 p.m.
Officers had rocks thrown at them along other objects by members of the crowd. But Graf said most left the area after law enforcement deployed tear gas.
He said a small group began destroying property afterwards and the the situation was contained around 2 a.m., Monday morning. Dozens of officers from several agencies were in the area Sunday night and Monday morning.
No arrest have been made relating to that incident as of Tuesday morning.
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