The mayor of Portland ordered the city's police to stop using
tear gas for crowd control during protests that have rocked the
city for more than 100 days in the wake of the police killing of
George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Mayor Ted Wheeler said Thursday the ban is effective immediately
and will last until further notice. Wheeler, who was tear gassed
by federal officers along with a large group of protesters in
July, also serves as the city's police commissioner.
"During the last hundred days, Portland, Multnomah County and
State Police have all relied on CS gas where there is a threat
to life safety," Wheeler said in a statement. "We need something
different. We need it now."
CS gas is a common form of tear gas that can immediately cause
irritation to the eyes, nose, mouth, lungs and skin, according
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prolonged
exposure to the gas, which is forbidden to use in war but legal
for use on civilians, can cause severe health effects such as
blindness, glaucoma, respiratory failure and death due to severe
chemical burns to the throat and lungs, according to the CDC.
Wheeler's announcement comes after months of criticism leveled
at police across the country for using tear gas to control
crowds at Black Lives Matter protests.
In June, Wheeler ordered police to curb the use of tear gas
shortly after the American Civil Liberties Union Oregon sent a
letter to Oregon's mayors, city managers and police chiefs
urging them to ban the use of tear gas and flash bang devices.
At the time, Wheeler said he directed Portland Police Chief Jami
Resch to only use tear gas if "there is a serious and immediate
threat to life safety, and there is no other viable alternative
for dispersal."
Protesters in Oregon's largest city have sometimes clashed with
law enforcement during the nightly demonstrations. The
protesters want city officials to slash the police budget and
reallocate that money to Black residents and businesses. Some
are also demanding Wheeler's resignation.
https://news.yahoo.com/portland-mayor-bans-cops-using-
132937186.html
Ted Wheeler will go down in history as the Democrat Mayor who
destroyed Portland while the dumbshits who live there stood by
and watched.
Did the residents protest about Wheeler destroying their city?
No. They elected this Democrat asshole. Let them deal with it.