Reviewed: Mayor Wheeler’s tear gas ‘ban’
Speaking Security Newsletter | Advisory Note for Organizers and Candidates, n°49 | 29 September 2020
Ted Wheeler (mayor of Portland, OR) opted for cosmetic rather than meaningful reform by introducing only a partial ban on police use of tear gas. He would have demanded a comprehensive ban if he was serious about protecting his constituents.
Tear gas ban vs. “tear gas ban”
Politically, the purpose of tear gas is to break up protests by inflicting harm onto the protestors. Taxonomically, tear gas refers to a range of ‘lachrymatory agents’ (chemical irritants that make you cry) used in ‘riot control’ situations. There’s CS gas, OC gas, and CN gas:

Wheeler only banned the CS variant. But since no one knows what CS gas is and spelling it out doesn’t help at all (2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile — see?), Wheeler’s ban looked way more comprehensive than it actually was based on how the headlines read:

^Source (other headlines like it, here, here, and here)
To be sure, CS gas is the most common tear gas agent (in the US). But these technologies replace one another: CS gas, for example, was around for over 20 years before it started to replace CN gas as the US’ primary riot control agent. And the active ingredient in OC gas (oleoresin capscicum) is already deployed via pepper spray, in addition to its use in tear gas.
If police oblige by the partial ban, OC gas will likely replace CS. Will this matter? Maybe to someone, but not the protestors:

^CS gas (left), OC gas (right). Source.
So exposure to either CS or OC gas would have made Mayor Wheeler’s face look like this:

^Wheeler gets exposed to tear gas at a protest. Source.
Conclusion
Without a movement behind them, policy ideas designed to flatten hierarchies across race/class lines don’t have much of a shot at becoming actual policies. So the protests in Portland (and elsewhere) must continue.
Wheeler’s partial ban is meaningless from a technical standpoint, but meaningful in that it clarifies his disposition toward the protests. He can be voted out in November and replaced with someone (like Sarah Iannorone) who might actually work on behalf of the protests in office (and not try to crush them with chemical agents while acting like they’re doing the opposite).
Thanks for your time,
Stephen (@stephensemler; stephen@securityreform.org)
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