Seattle Police will stop using tear gas on protesters, chief says

Carmen Best, chief of the Seattle Police Department, announced on Friday that her officers would stop using tear gas on protesters.

Protesters have gathered every day in Seattle since Friday, a week ago, to protest police use of force, and specifically the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Floyd became unresponsive as an officer kneeled on his neck.On Saturday, the protest, which began peacefully, became aggressive. More demonstrators joined in the afternoon and evening, and clashed with police. A cloud rose above downtown as flash bangs were thrown and gas sprayed to disperse the crowd.

Tear gas is controversial, and deemed a “method of war” by the Geneva Protocol. But it has been allowed for riot control. Now Best and Mayor Jenny Durkan say the commission and other oversight agencies will take the lead on reviewing the department’s crowd management policies. In the last week, Chief Best and Mayor Jenny Durkan have eased up on some of their more draconian measures. They have removed the curfew, which started as early as 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and Best ordered her officers to stop obscuring their badge numbers.

KUOW Sounds like they just moved to pepper spray.

KUOW Should have negotiated for Antifa to stop carrying lighter fluid in water bottles.

KUOW Awwww

KUOW Hey NPR, please fact check this!!

KUOW better than nothing.

Bubblesgal0re KUOW I feel like we can do way way way better than this

KUOW I was excited for change until I saw the exceptions.

KUOW Great. They're going to stop their crimes against Americans for 30 days.

KUOW The use of tear gas needs to be banned. Sign and share the petition aiming to do just that.

KUOW What a policy....Less tormenting taxpayers...you would think in America

KUOW Why only 30 days?

theProgSoapbox KUOW Poor snowflakes. No tear gas for 30 days.....That could really make you 'cry'if you are a sadist.

KUOW Newsflash: Police department plans to go back to using a chemical weapon banned in war, assuming it will be expedient to do so in 30 days, thus completely missing the point of the protestors, whose stance clearly has an expiration date.

KUOW They mostly send SWAT sooo.....

KUOW Yes instead of tear gas cops will be given chairs so when they encounter a combative drugged suspect they can sit with them and establish a therapeutic dialoque and attempt to isolate n identify the root of the fine citizens hostility, n reach an amicable solution .. RIGHT ?

KUOW I assume they used theirs all up and replacement stock is estimated to arrive in 30 days?

KUOW Why can't we call the UN on our government?

KUOW Any use of chemical agents, by any law enforcement entity, at any time, against a civilian population should be prohibited.

KUOW this means nothing. they apparently can track and arrest protesters, so for the next 30 days they'll send SWAT to protests and use SPD to obsessively comb through footage.

KUOW Harsh language will be used in lieu of teargas.

KUOW These are just word games. Wait and see.

KUOW It, along with pepper spray, mace non lethal rounds, military ordanances, military vehicles and weaponry should be immediately banned.

KUOW Also why does SPD need AR-15 rifles for maintaining law and order ? There should be no taxpayer support for this. Stop supporting the gun lobby with these purchases and use this money to feed the homeless and solve homelessness.

KUOW 🙄🙄🙄

KUOW Aww, they spent it all in one place.

KUOW Only 30 days? This is USA in a nutshell.

KUOW But next month is gonna be lit

KUOW Let's make the day George Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020; Let's make it The Black Live Matter Day.

KUOW Translation- So they are all out of tear gas and they are waiting on a shipment 📦

KUOW The suspension of TEAR GAS On U.S. Citizens Must be PERMANENT

KUOW I hope they use pipe wrenches

KUOW Can we stop destroying water and first aid stations too?

KUOW 30 days? Not good enough.

KUOW How sad that we went from talking about getting coronavirus to teargas !!!!!!!

KUOW oh, so the Predators are going to slightly reduce the overwhelming Harm that they do to the citizens of Seattle?

KUOW This will end in tears.

KUOW Rumour has it this is only because they have run out and there is a back order on tear gas.

KUOW 3...2...1...on when peaceful protests will be labeled 'standoff situations.'

KUOW Taser

KUOW Expect more beatings then.

KUOW They switched to pepper spray.

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