MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - In the aftermath of unrest and amid a pandemic, three Madison alders want to ban police use of tear gas.
The proposal was on the agenda for Tuesday’s Common Council meeting, but was not introduced. It is co-sponsored by Alders Patrick Heck (District 2), Shiva Bidar (District 5) and Keith Furman (District 19).
Ahead of the meeting, Alder Heck explained to NBC15, “I think that the primary motivation was the recognition that tear gas itself has been banned for almost a century by the UN Geneva Protocol and also by the Chemical Weapon Convention in 1993.”
But Alder Heck added that more “immediate” causes for introducing the resolution included local unrest in late May-early June.
In one instance, on May 30, Madison Police Chief Vic Wahl wrote on his blog that a group of about 150 people damaged property along State Street. He wrote, “Chemical agents were utilized as officers attempted to move the crowd from the area.”
NBC15 reached out to MPD late Tuesday afternoon and have not yet received a response.
Alder Heck also said that this resolution is a result of health concerns, for fears that that tear gas could “exacerbate COVID-19.”
The American Thoracic Society called tear gas use during the pandemic “irresponsible.” In a press release, ATS president Juan C. Celedón, MD, DrPH, ATSF wrote, “The use of chemical crowd control agents is outlawed in the time of war. They cause significant short- and long-term respiratory health injury and likely propagate the spread of viral illnesses, including COVID-19.”
The resolution not only calls for MPD to abandon tear gas use but also study the ways it has been used in the last 20 years, in order to seek alternatives.
Now, the measure must pass through several committees before coming back to the Council. Alder Heck said he believes the Council will vote in early September.
If passed, the resolutions would end tear gas use starting November 17. According to Alder Heck, the date allows for approximately a month between the study’s due date and enactment.
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