Portland Police Report White Claw Was Thrown at Officers Amid Protests, and Twitter Is Having a Field Day
06/06/2020 06:58 pm EDT
The sonic tone was used at 1:30 a.m. Friday morning, near the end of an all-night protest against police brutality, reports Oregon Live. Deputy Police Chief Chris Davis said the tone was used to disperse a disruptive group without hurting the peaceful protesters. It was only the second time police used the tone as an alternative to tear gas. Police did not use tear gas Thursday night, as activists have criticized police departments for using the gas across the country. Some experts say it could hurt efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Seattle already put a 30-day moratorium on using tear gas during protests.
During a press conference Friday, Wheeler, who also serves as police commissioner, said he supported a pause on using tear gas, but would only outright ban its use if there is a better alternative available. Portland "should ban the use of tear gas with an important provision," Wheeler said. "I would support the discontinuation of tear gas provided that there are viable alternatives for dispersal that do not involve higher uses of force."
The latest protests against police brutality and racial inequality began after Floyd's death on May 25. Floyd died while in Minneapolis police custody when an officer kept his knee on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes, even after Floyd lost consciousness. He was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter and was fired.
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