As of Friday, Nov. 8, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer put in place a curfew from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. and ended the sale of alcohol at midnight.
Derrick Gaines, who lives in downtown, said, “A curfew could definitely make things better.” “But most people like doing unapproved activities.” That is, do I really believe it will impact the situation? Not always. People will find a way to do what they want to do.
For only a few months, Gaines has lived in downtown Detroit. Even though gunshots and some kind of chaos seem to be part of the deal, he was shocked to hear about the shooting after canceling his plans to go downtown on Halloween night.
He said, “That night, my girlfriend and I were going to go out, but I had a bad feeling.” “What the heck, I said, let us stay inside. I do not feel good tonight.”
Because of the shooting, two people died. A few others were also hurt and taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, but thousands of people were sent running for their lives.
When Gaines heard what had happened, he said, “I was kind of shocked.” “You understand, it is just a shame.”
At a press meeting on Friday afternoon, Dyer said that level of callousness is what led to the curfew being enforced over the next week. He also talked about how angry he was about yet another violent crime downtown.
“I am angry that I have to tell you all again that another innocent life has been lost to gun violence. That is why we are taking this very serious step of ending sales of alcohol at midnight and putting in place a curfew for 1 a.m.,” Dyer said.
Some locals, like Gaines, say the shooting has not changed how they feel about being downtown. However, a customer who goes to bars and clubs in the area said he thinks these steps will really hurt Orlando’s nightlife.
Christopher Jackson said, “I think the curfew will only hurt the business owners. It will not stop the violence because people will do what they want to do whenever they decide to lift it.”
Jackson said that a few of his friends own clubs downtown and others want to bring businesses downtown. However, he thinks that local business owners are being punished because of the recent shooting and the state of emergency rules.
“This kind of thing will happen,” he said. “But we can not let fear dominate our lives.”
Jackson said he hopes the new rules will not be put in place for longer than was first planned so that they do not hurt the economy. The curfew tonight and every night for the next week is from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
