Ban Tear Gas Use By Police, Ohio Lawmakers Say

COLUMBUS, OH — Police should be barred from using tear gas to disperse protesters, a coalition of Democratic lawmakers said this week. The group urged Gov. Mike DeWine to immediately prohibit the use of tear gas due to its dangerous health effects.

Following George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, protests erupted throughout Ohio and have continued for nearly two weeks. During some of those protests, police used tear gas, mace and pepper spray to disperse peaceful protesters, the coalition of Democratic politicians said.

"Over the past few weeks we have seen peaceful protesters being subjected to militant police violence via rubber bullets, baton beatings, and tear gassing mass gatherings of peaceful protesters. This isn’t the 1960s or a war-torn country. This is 2020 in the United States of America. This is Ohio," said state Rep. Janine Boyd from Cleveland Heights.

In a letter to DeWine, the group argued that use of tear gas exacerbates the effects of COVID-19, violates human rights and could have dangerous health effects for protesters. The group cited a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, which indicated sustained exposure to tear gas could cause blindness, miscarriages and severe chemical burns to the lungs.

"During the George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Aubery protests, protesters showed up with anti-racism signs to peacefully protest, but interactions between police and protesters escalated without justification. Meanwhile, during the “Reopen Ohio” protests, protesters were armed with semi-automatic weapons, racist and anti-Semitic paraphernalia and other weapons of war, yet there was zero response from law enforcement," the letter to DeWine said.

DeWine deployed the Ohio National Guard to two major cities, Columbus and Cleveland, following a weekend of unrest which saw buildings destroyed and police cruisers burned. However, many other protests in Ohio, and in Columbus and Cleveland, have been peaceful.

The protests have focused on a single demand: reform of law enforcement in Ohio.

To that end, DeWine has vowed to improve transparency and accountability for police departments. The governor said Tuesday he was starting a new initiative to recruit more women and people of color into law enforcement. He also expressed interested in creating a database of police officers accused of misconduct.

Ohio House Democrats have proposed sweeping police reform legislation, which includes a prohibition on using tear gas on protesters.