Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz issued the following statement today:

The injustice faced by African Americans in our country, and in our city, is real. So is the pain and anger so many people of color feel in the face of this injustice. That is why I attended both protests that were held today. I attended these events to both show my support for the cause, and also, frankly, to listen. People in my position, and of my race, need to listen to what our fellow citizens are saying. We will never solve this problem without dialogue, and I am committed to helping lead Toledo through this conversation.

As committed as I am to the cause for which today’s protests were held, I am just as committed to protecting the safety of all citizens of our community. Now *is* the time to protest, but we can do so peacefully. Violence, in my opinion, is never the answer. Not in any form. Never. I do not support violence when it is directed by a citizen toward a police officer, nor when it is directed by an officer toward a citizen.

As a result, I have decided to impose a 9 p.m. curfew tonight for portions of downtown Toledo. This is being done to protect the safety of all residents of our community.

Tomorrow we will continue the important work we need to do to build the city and country we all want.