The City of Birmingham will not prosecute anyone solely arrested for curfew violations and other minor charges from June 1 through June 7 during the height of the downtown demonstrations, according to the Office of the City Attorney on Wednesday.

Anyone who faces additional charges and who damaged property will still face the law, according to the city.

Protesters then moved into the city’s downtown area, setting fires and breaking out windows of local businesses.

“We recognize that there is a need to strike a balance between peaceful protesters and those that entered the City of Birmingham to cause civil unrest.

By not prosecuting those arrested for curfew violations and failure to disperse there may be “an opportunity for conversation between the community, law enforcement, and the city so that we can all listen and learn from the experience,” King said.