Baltimore Lifts Curfew

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake today lifted the 10pm-to-5am curfew that had been enforced in the city since Tuesday night, reports the New York Times. "Effective immediately, I have rescinded my order instituting a citywide curfew," Rawlings-Blake said in a statement. "My goal has always been to not have the curfew in place a single day longer than was necessary." The curfew itself was a source of contention, notes the Times, with allegations that it was enforced along racial lines and the ACLU dismissing it as "an extraordinary measure that has clearly outlived its usefulness, and reminds city residents of their broken relationship with police." Rawlings-Blake said this morning that her city needed a "sense of peace and calm ... so we can begin to heal," adds the AP. (More Baltimore stories.)