The use of tear gas defined as "asphyxiating gas, or any other kind of gas, liquids, substances or similar materials" is prohibited in the use of war by the Geneva Protocol of 1925. Tear gas has been banned in warfare, there is no excuse for it to be used against civilians exercising their first amendment rights. Jamil Dakwar, director of the human rights program with the American Civil Liberties Union, stated "Well, it is considered a less-lethal weapon when it's used outdoors. In general, it could be lethal." Additionally, it is an indiscriminate weapon that affects everyone in the proximity, there is no distinction between protestors, observers, old, young, healthy, sick. It is unacceptable that this method continues to be used by police departments across the country. 

Inspired by a similar petition seen in Philadelphia, we call on the Mayor of Washington D.C. and the Chief of Police to ban the use of tear gas on civilians and to greatly reduce the city's stockpile of such a dangerous weapon. This petition also demands that the city council of Washington D.C. draft and submit a resolution condemning the use of tear gas and banning its future use in the city.  

The protests are backlash to decades of systematic oppression and inadequate response by the government and law enforcement. To respond with a weapon deemed so inhumane that its use is banned in war is unacceptable. We the undersigned demand accountability and real change. 

Click here to read more about the dangers of tear gas.

Support similar petitions: Ban use of tear gas in Philadelphia