Dallas police will drop citations that were issued to protesters who violated the city’s curfew on May 31 through June 1 .
Protests took to the streets nationwide after the death of George Floyd, who was restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day.
Dallas Police Chief Renee Reneé Hall said Thursday that she hopes dismissing the curfew charges will be a signal to the community.
"We have always and still value the right to protest, especially now," Hall said in a statement.
In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, protesters demonstrated against police brutality in the days following Floyd's death.
However, the City of Dallas instituted a curfew that started on May 31 after two nights of vandalism and demonstrations.
The next night, about 300 protesters were detained after blocking traffic on the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, though most of them were released.
Now, nearly a month later the city says it will drop citations against the protesters.
“Hopefully, this will be viewed as a restorative action and help open the lines of communications with our myriad communities who are hopeful and deserving of real change,” Hall said.
Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot has dismissed similar charges that have already been presented to his office, according to a news release.
City officials say the dropped charges do not apply to anyone who faces riotous, burglary of a business, or other misdemeanor offenses.
“Those individuals endangered whole neighborhoods, both people and property," Hall said.
Portraits of the protests: The people participating in Dallas' demonstrations
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