Fighting for Statewide Reforms

Tear gas is a weapon banned in war by the Chemical Weapons Convention. It's indiscriminate and police have no control over whether it hits protesters exercising their First Amendment rights or babies sleeping in their homes. Thousands of health officials have warned us that it exacerbates the Coronavirus pandemic. The other health effects are not even known because, as a weapon of war, it has only been studied, if at all, on the male population. However, protesters, journalists, and bystanders exposed to it have reported abnormal menstrual cycles.

For these and many other reasons, it is clear -- tear gas must be banned in Washington State. All three of Seattle's police accountability agencies (CPC, OIG, and OPA) recommended in June that SPD stop using tear gas against protesters. The City has also passed legislation banning tear gas, among other things, which the CPC fully supports. Meanwhile, the Washington State Patrol has suspended its use of tear gas. Now is the time to make sure these weapons are not available for use at the discretion of police in Washington State.

Other statewide reforms we need:

• Remove police accountability from the bargaining process
• Remove arbitration as a route of appeal for police misconduct
• Repair Washington's broken decertification system
• Institute truly independent investigations
• End qualified immunity
• Strengthen requirements for officers to intervene
• Ensure community has a voice in statewide police training and reform