The Seattle mayor has banned the police use of tear gas as protests continue in the city and nationally over the killing of George Floyd.
Mayor Jenny Durkan said in a news conference Friday afternoon that the ban would continue for 30 days. The move came hours after three civilian police watchdog groups urged city leaders to do so to build public trust and until the department adopts policies and training for the use of the chemical agent. Local health officials had also expressed concerns over the use of tear gas and other respiratory irritants based on the potential to increase COVID-19 spread.
SWAT team members who are specially trained can continue to use tear gas in the meantime in what she called "life safety" situations and only under her authority, Best said. "I think the last two days have shown that you can have very large demonstrations in two parts of the city and that they can be conducted in peace and without any confrontations with police," Durkan said.
The Martin Luther King Jr. County Labor Council passed a resolution Thursday as protests continue in Seattle and nationally over the killing of Floyd last week in Minneapolis. The resolution attributes policing problems to systemic racism. It called on the Seattle police union to acknowledge that or be thrown out of the umbrella group of more than 150 unions and 100,000 workers that wields tremendous power in greater Seattle politics.
Early Friday, Solan posted a video on Twitter set to dramatic music that shows "Kill cops" graffiti and a statement that says Floyd's death is in opposition to everything the guild stands for.
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