SEATTLE (AP) — A U.S. judge on Friday ordered Seattle police to temporarily stop using tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang devices to break up largely peaceful protests, a victory for groups who say authorities have overreacted to recent demonstrations over police brutality and racial injustice in the liberal city.
U.S. District Judge Richard Jones issued the two-week order after a Black Lives Matter group sued the Seattle Police Department this week to halt the violent tactics it has used to break up protests.
The judge said those objecting to police using violent tactics to break up protests make a strong case that the indiscriminate use of force is unconstitutional.
This week, protesters have turned part of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood into a protest center with speakers, drum circles and Black
Lives Matter painted on a street near a police station.
“As tens of thousands of people were gathering today to march silently and in solidarity against police brutality and misconduct, the U.S. District Court affirmed their right to protest, free from state violence.
