Federal judge orders Denver police to limit firing tear gas, projectiles at peaceful protesters

A federal judge in Denver issued an order late Friday night that limits the Denver Police Department’s use of chemical weapons and non-lethal projectiles on protesters, saying that protecting First Amendment rights were more important than protecting buildings.

“The threat to physical safety and free speech outweighs the threat to property,” U.S. District Court Judge R. Brooke Jackson wrote.

Police at protests have been ordered by the court “from employing chemical weapons or projectiles of any kind against persons engaging in peaceful protests or demonstrations.”

A captain or higher-ranked officer must approve their use after that commander has witnessed specific acts of violence or property destruction that warrant that level of force.

The above is an excerpt from the Denver Post