MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th June, 2020) Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has directed police forces in Oregon's largest city to only use tear gas in response to violent acts that threaten people's lives.
"Our community has serious concerns about the use of CS gas for crowd management, particularly during a time when we're battling a pandemic. I share those concerns. Today, I directed Portland Police Chief Jami Resch that gas should not be used unless there is a serious and immediate threat to life safety, and there is no other viable alternative for dispersal," Wheeler said in a statement on Saturday, broadcast on Twitter.
The mayor expressed confidence in the professionalism of Portland Police officers, Multnomah County Sheriff deputies, and Oregon State Police troopers.
"I stand in solidarity with our non-violent demonstrators, who are sending a strong message that we are long overdue for meaningful reform and restorative justice," Wheeler said adding that he is "acutely aware of the urgency around these issues and will continue to work together in the coming days to put together a package of actions that address the demands we are hearing loudly from our community."
Multiple nighttime protests in Portland, including the Friday demonstrations, have ended in the use of tear gas. Some US cities, including Seattle and Denver, have banned the use of tear gas against protesters.
The current wave of mass protests in the US was sparked by the death of George Floyd, an African-American man, in police custody in the US state of Minnesota. Floyd died on May 25 after Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis white police officer, pinned him to the ground with his knee for over eight minutes. A total of four police officers involved in the arrest have been fired in connection with the incident. Chauvin has been charged with second-degree and third-degree murder and manslaughter while the other three officers have been charged with aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter.
Protests against racial discrimination and police brutality have been organized in connection with Floyd's death in many cities across the world, despite various coronavirus restrictions. In the US, protesters have been walking out into the streets at nighttime, despite enforced curfews.
