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Emotional Mayor Jim Kenney, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw Have Powerful Message For Philadelphians After George Floyd Protests

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw had a powerful message in the wake of the violence that unfolded Saturday following the peaceful George Floyd protests. They both reiterated that the criminal acts that transpired were not part of the organized protests.

"I'm sure it saddened every Philadelphian who takes pride in our city, especially the thousands of Philadelphians who came out earlier in the day yesterday to peacefully, yet forcefully protest," Kenney said. "They made a tremendous statement about their decades of anger over a system that degrades Black Americans because of the color of their skin."

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The mayor went on to say that the vandals in Center City did a great disservice to the many others who chose to speak out forcefully against institutional racism and violence at the hands of police.

"There is a very clear narrative here and a lot of hurt and anger around what's being demonstrated. It only hurts the cause more when you have folks that are acting in misalignment with what we're trying to bring attention to," Outlaw said. "It's only a distraction and it hurts and it hinders."

She added that those who caused injury were not aligning with the purpose of those who protested earlier in the day.

"They were here specifically with the intent to destroy and quite frankly, those folks didn't look like me," she said. "To hold up a Black Lives Matter sign and then use the destruction in the names of Black Lives Matter, is not only a slap in the face, but it's completely a setback for everything that has been accomplished."

The commissioner also applauded the work of officers along with law enforcement and community partners for their commitment to safety and restoration of order.

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Due to the events of Saturday, 13 Philadelphia police officers were injured. Twelve of the officers have been treated and released from the hospital.

"Seeing the level of restraint that these officers executed even after knowing that one of their colleagues had been run over by a vehicle, going to the hospital and seeing that officer to then come back out here, this brings to light what these officers do every day," Outlaw said.

She added that the officers are trying to make an impact every day, knowing that they "aren't the only answer to it."

Outlaw ended by applauding the officers for getting back up to do it again on Sunday.

Kenney has implemented a mandatory citywide curfew that will go back into effect Sunday night at 6 p.m. through 6 a.m. Monday.

He has also ordered all streets in Center City to be shut down in order to clean up the destruction from last night and in case any protests ensue.

The Ben Franklin Bridge has also been closed in both directions until further notice.

For more information on the George Floyd protests, click here

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