A judge ruled in favor of a Black Lives Matter group on Friday, banning Seattle police from using tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang…
A judge ruled in favor of a Black Lives Matter group on Friday, banning Seattle police from using tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang devices to disperse crowds at protests.
The ruling comes after a tense few weeks between law enforcement and protesters and legally reinforces a similar temporary ban by the city’s Mayor Jenny Durkan and Seatle Police Department Chief Carmen Best.
U. S. District Judge Richard Jones issued the two-week ban pointing to the dangers of using « indiscriminate » tactics that could harm peaceful protesters or innocent bystanders and claimed the use of force is unconstitutional.
« Because they are indiscriminate, they may even spill into bystanders’ homes or offices as they have done before, » Jones wrote in his ruling.
