December 2020 Bar Bulletin
By Molly Tack-Hooper,
Senior Staff Attorney,
ACLU of Washington
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, millions of people across the U.S. gathered in the streets to protest the systemic injustices perpetrated by law enforcement against Black people and other people of color. Many demanded specific reforms, including a defunding of the police and a reinvestment of those funds into communities of color. As peaceful protesters exercised their First Amendment rights, in many places, their calls for an end to police brutality were met with police brutality. In Seattle, police officers indiscriminately launched canisters of tear gas and pepper spray into...