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Agreement Would Limit St. Louis Police Actions In Protests

A settlement has been reached to end a lawsuit brought by a civil liberties group over St. Louis police actions taken during downtown protests in 2017.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a consent judgment announced Wednesday would end the lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of protesters against the city. The lawsuit cited police use of tear gas and pepper spray and a “kettling” technique to round up protesters. The protests followed the acquittal of former police officer Jason Stockley in the death of a Black man, Anthony Lamar Smith, after a police chase in 2011.

The agreement limits police use of chemical agents against protesters and requires police to give clear warnings and sufficient time to protesters to disperse.

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