NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam's administration is imposing a nighttime curfew on the Capitol complex in response to what it calls deteriorating safety conditions surrounding anti-Wall Street protests.
The Department of General Services announced Thursday that the Capitol grounds, the War Memorial Courtyard and the Legislative Plaza in downtown Nashville now will be closed between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The policy change came just hours before the 8 p.m. deadline that Occupy Nashville protesters say they were given to disband their three-week-old encampment on Legislative Plaza. Those who don't leave face arrest.
The plaza is a frequent cut-through for pedestrians and adjacent to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and War Memorial Auditorium, where nighttime events often end after the 10 p.m. curfew.