For the first time in 20 years, Berkeley is allowing police officers to use pepper spray for crowd control as the city prepares for possibly violent riots at a Ben Shapiro event. Officers will only be allowed to use their pepper spray on those who commit acts of violence, which the city is hoping to prevent by prohibiting weapons and masks during Shapiro’s speech.
The Berkeley Police Department has been authorised to use pepper spray as a crowd control weapon for the first time in 20 years as officers prepare for protests on Thursday night.
According to The Los Angeles Times, the Berkeley City Council approved the move in a 6-3 vote Tuesday, just two days before the University of California, Berkeley is scheduled to host popular conservative speaker Ben Shapiro, and just over a week ahead of another controversial event featuring Milo Yiannopoulos.
The decision, requested by Police Chief Andrew Greenwood, overturns a 1997 ban on the use of the chemical agent for crowd-control, and allows police to utilize the tool on protesters “who are committing acts of violence upon police or others.”
Despite the relaxation of restrictions, however, officers are still not allowed to spray protesters engaged in nonviolent behavior or disperse crowds.
Meanwhile, the city also announced a temporary prohibition on weapons at various parks during Shapiro’s speech, a precaution that failed to prevent an outbreak of Antifa violence at a previous demonstration in August.
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