Protestors in Berkeley, California now have to worry about a new potential problem the next time they take to the streets: getting pepper sprayed by police officers. In preparation for the Thursday arrival of former Breitbart editor Ben Shapiro to the University of California Berkeley’s campus, the police requested the city council to overturn an existing ban on law enforcement’s use of pepper spray at protests.
While the police didn’t get blanket approval to use pepper spray at will, the council did vote for some modifications, the Sacramento Bee reports.
The city banned pepper spray in 1997 as a crowd-control weapon, though most law enforcement agencies permit officers to use it to disburse violent crowds, Berkeley police Chief Andrew Greenwood said.
Greenwood sought such permission at an emergency council meeting, saying it is preferable to batons and tear gas, which the city is allowed to use but disburses far wider than pepper spray.
The council rejected its use for crowd control Tuesday, but agreed to modify its ban and expand police powers to use it.
The council said pepper spray "shall not be used as a crowd control technique to disperse a crowd or move a crowd," the motion stated. "Police may use pepper spray upon specific individuals within a crowd who are committing acts of violence upon police or others."
The city council approved the change with a 6-3 vote. Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin, who is a Democrat, expressed his support for the measure. While the police and politicians may say this is about safety, the expansion of power is worrisome. Will this actually improve safety? Considering the nationwide reports of police targeting and harassing liberal protesters while giving white supremacists and conservatives wide leashes—even when committing acts of hateful violence against other citizens.
AP reports that Berkeley will be employing additional measures in preparation for Shapiro’s event and the likely clashes leading up to it. Berkeley’s campus will have large sections sealed off and police presence will be higher and more visible than normal.