A judge ruled in favor of a Black Lives Matter group on Friday, banning Seattle police from using tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang devices to disperse crowds at protests.
The ruling comes after a tense few weeks between law enforcement and protesters and legally reinforces a similar temporary ban by the city’s Mayor Jenny Durkan and Seatle Police Department Chief Carmen Best.
Police efforts have failed to negotiate with leaders of the demonstrations to retake the precinct. The ACLU celebrated the judge’s ruling as a “victory” for the Black Lives Matter movement on Friday.
“The right to protest is fundamental to democracy,” they said in a post on Twitter.
Leave a Reply