We got an alert over our phones late this afternoon that all of Portland was on curfew from 8pm to 6am, so we have stayed at home, thinking we understood what “curfew” meant…then I saw a video of armored police with tanks going through Minneapolis neighborhoods ordering everyone out of their yards and off their porches, and shooting at those that didn’t comply fast enough! Have I been misunderstanding the word all these years?
The word comes from the French “couvre-feu,” which means “cover fire.” The original curfews were set by William the Conqueror (IIRC), and had to do with ringing in fires so they would spread.
Legally, in the US, a curfew is the time during which a law or regulation applies. If there’s alternate-side-of-street parking in a city, and an hour during which you are supposed to move your car if you live on that street, but during that hour, cars can be parked on both sides, the laws that set the times are curfews.
Laws that specify when people have to be off public property are curfews. Those laws may say people must be in their own homes, inside, with the blinds drawn, or they may say that people must simply be on non-public property-- they can be at a friend’s house, and be sitting out in the yard, they can be home, but with the windows open.
So a curfew is just the fact that a law applies during certain times.
In common parlance, though, in the US, if someone says there “is a curfew,” and doesn’t specify exactly what, then it refers to someone having to be home at a particular time. But “curfew” does not define what “be home” means. Some teenagers’ curfews may mean “home in bed.” Some may mean “coming through the front door.” Some may even mean a time by which the teen must check in by phone.
You can’t assume anything just by the word “curfew.” You have to inquire after the specifics.
When I think “Mandatory Curfew” I think “be inside your home” not “hang outside on your lawn because technically its your home and you can be naked on it since you’re technically home elementary school bus passing by be damned”
Now that you’ve hit both extreme ends of the spectrum, care to discuss the middle parts, such as sitting on your own porch, or having your door open and standing in the doorway to see what is going on?
People have tried in the past to argue it wasn’t public nudity because they were just standing on the porch naked which is why I brought it up.
Jackie: Think of curfew as your mom and dad’s way of saying I love you.
Becky: I curfew Darlene!
Darlene: Well, I curfew you too, Beck.
Denver’s restricts use of even private property accessible to the public. So presumably the front yard and porch are off limits unless you are there with your firearm to keep people off’n your lawn. Not everybody respected this law last night.
RivkahChaya gave pretty much the definitive answer: it depends on what is specified in the curfew order, not on what people’s opinions are.
Or there’s always this old gem, from the movie Desk Set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEgTXHVugVU
Here in Panama we’ve been under what’s referred to as toque de queda total for the past two and a half months. You’re supposed to stay inside your house or building, except for a two hour period determined by the last digit of your ID number, when you are allowed to go shopping at the supermarket or pharmacy. Men were allowed to go out on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and women on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. (Theoretically men also had Saturday, but they canceled that because some of us were bad boys and didn’t comply with the restrictions.) Everybody had to stay at home on Sunday. Otherwise you had to be an essential worker with a “safe conduct” provided by your employer.
Tomorrow they are finally removing the movement limitations during the day, but retaining a complete curfew from 7 PM to 5 AM.
If my city were under curfew, I would assume the city doesn’t want me being out and about. I would assume that the purpose of the curfew is to clear the streets for public safety reasons.
But I wouldn’t assume the purpose was to keep people off of their own front porches.
And I certainly wouldn’t expect being shot by a rubber bullet for the “crime” of standing on my front porch. Rubber bullets are dangerous.
I’m assuming you’re using the hypothetical “I” in your post. I can’t imagine flesh monstro being that naïve. Last night in Denver they were popping tear gas only a block away from residences–you know, kids, old folks, nonprotesting types who are interested in dinner and bedtime. Tear gas complicates those endeavors. If you (everybody you, not just monstro) don’t consider yourself their target you’re in for a nasty shock.
No more peaceable assembly, no more "innocent until proven guilty’. If you’re not wearing the right colors, you’re hosed. But don’t blame the individual cops, they’re just following orders.
Stay safe y’all. I’m taking some time away from here before I say something and get myself banned.
For clarity, here’s an explanation of what Portland Oregon’s curfew means. In our case it’s just keeping the rowdies from congregating and making trouble. Nonetheless, I was very glad my daughter’s store closed early last night, which allowed her to be home before the deadline. I was shocked shitless at those people in Minneapolis who had paint canisters fired at them as they were standing on their porch, that seemed to be one hell of an overreach to me. Some of those cops are gonna get some return fire, and not with paintballs, if they don’t chill their shit out.
I was wondering about this myself: according to this detailing of the 3-day Minneapolis curfew, there was no requirement to be indoors when on (one’s own?) private property. So it appears the cops and/or Nat Guard were exceeding their authority, not that much could be done about it at the time.
Well I sure read that differently. “Accessible to the general public” does not include my lawn or my porch. I assumed it would be okay to stay on my porch. Although I didn’t.
It does seem like shooting people on their own front porches, with rubber bullets or whatever, is not the best way to tamp down a potential insurrection instigated by an adverse cop/civilian encounter. It’s like they’re doubling down instead of addressing the problem.
I guess I am naive, then. I do expect police to be hard core during riots and civil unrest, but no, I wouldn’t expect tear gas to waft in through people’s living room windows or rubber bullets to rain down on them when they step out on their front porch. I guess I always figured that the police wouldn’t go to such extremes, especially in this day and age of the ubiquitous video camera. But after watching them arrest the CNN reporter for the crime of being black, nothing should be surprising me anymore.
The cameras would have been their best defense. I get it–there’s a large, restless gathering with the potential for some property damage or worse and they want to prevent that sort of thing. But a quick look at the numbers of cops in riot gear suggests an alternative way of dealing with it. How about, no riot gear, and just stage the cops in a perimeter around the gathering to be vigilant and maintain order–they had the personnel on hand to do this. Every chance they get the cops would assure the public they are wearing body cams to record what they are doing as well as document any incidents. It would go a long way toward showing the public they are not the enemy. But with a couple of exceptions, the meetings nationwide were adversarial.
It just strikes me as madness for them to engage the most heavily armed society in the history of the planet in a violent pissing contest.
What’s curious is that’s the very first thought that popped into my head upon seeing the OP title. What’s even more curious is that I’ve never watched that show, save for that very episode. It’s really a small world.
That’s not the goal, though. Not at all what’s trying to be shown.
I think it means if you don’t stay home, they’ll release the dogs (curs) on some of you (a few).
As alluded to above, “curfew” comes from old French for “cover fires”, modern French “couvre feu”, and it basically means “lights out”. Sort of like when parents tell their teenage kids “it’s a school night - lights out at 11 or else”. But of course the devil’s in the details…
In this particular instance it looks like some elements of law enforcement got etymologically confused, and thought they were supposed to be laying down some covering fire.
Or more probably, there was some overreach. Depending on the level of training and experience of all the parties concerned, these situations can take on a life of their own, and you can get discipline breakdowns.