#Judge temporarily blocks Seattle PD from using tear gas on protesters

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Protesters surround police officers making an arrest are pepper-sprayed in downtown Seattle during demonstrations over the death of George Floyd.
AP

A federal judge has temporarily barred Seattle police from using tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang devices against peaceful protesters in the city.

The ruling, from U.S. District Judge Richard Jones, comes as the city and state face mounting pressure from President Trump and from the right to disband the so-called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.

Known as “CHAZ” for short, the six-block outdoor protest space formed Monday night after the Mayor ordered the police to board up and abandon their precinct in the Capitol Hill neighborhood following days of protester unrest there.

The area, bounded by makeshift barricades and signs reading “You are now leaving the USA.”

A festival atmosphere has prevailed for four days, with protesters dancing, making speeches, handing out free snacks and screening films at night as they demand the abolishment of the city’s police force — a cause inspired by the Memorial Day police custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Trump, though, has called the protesters “domestic terrorists” and called on Gov. Jay Inslee and Mayor Jenny Durkan to break up the demonstrations.

Judge Jones sided with a Black Lives Matter group that sued the Seattle Police Department this week.

Jones said the plaintiffs make a strong case that weapons such as tear gas and pepper spray are unconstitutional because they fail to target “any single agitator or criminal.”

Michele Storms, executive director of the ACLU of Washington, praised the judge’s decision.

“The city must allow for freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, and it must address police accountability and excessive use of force,” Storms said in a statement.

Last weekend, Seattle officers used tear gas, pepper spray and other force against crowds of protesters that drew condemnation from the left. Jones’ order bars those measures for two weeks.

Both Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best have apologized to residents who were hit with the chemical weapons during peaceful protests as they both face calls for their resignation.

Durkan on Friday visited the CHAZ and pushed back against Trump’s characterization of the demonstration an “anarchist takeover.”

“Seattle is fine. Don’t be so afraid of democracy,” Durkan tweeted.

“For as long as I can remember, Capitol Hill has been autonomous — it’s always been a place where people go to express themselves freely,” Durkan wrote in a follow-up tweet.

But Best has accused some protesters of violently attacking the police and blamed the autonomous zone — and the abandonment of the precinct — for hampering police response times.

She said Friday that the department is hoping to regain control of the  police station “as soon as possible.”

“People are looking for a plan, but we want to make sure we modulate anything that we’re doing,” Best said.

“We don’t want to exacerbate or intensify or incite problems that are going to lead to harm to the officers or the people who are standing by.”

With Post Wires