The chief of the Seattle Police Department sent a terrifying letter to local businesses and residents reminding them that officers will no longer be able to adequately protect them because of a new ordinance that bans them from using nonlethal weapons when attempting to disperse large gatherings.

“Please know that the Seattle Police Department is committed to addressing life safety incidents and calls for service, and responding to ongoing demonstrations and unrest in the city,” Chief Carmen Best wrote in the letter. “Please also know that the City Council Ordinance 119805 Crowd Control Tool goes into effect this weekend on Sunday, July 26, 2020. This ordinance bans Seattle Police officers the use of less lethal tools, including pepper spray that is commonly used to disperse crowds that have turned violent. Simply put, the legislation gives officers no ability to safely intercede to preserve property in the midst of a large, violent crowd.”

Close

Police Chief Best went on to say that her city is under attack.

“It is a fact that there are groups and individuals who are intent on destruction in our City,” she continued. “Yes, we also have seen weeks of peaceful demonstrations, but two recent events (Sunday, July 19th and Wednesday, July 22nd) have included wide-scale property destruction and attacks on officers, injuring more than a dozen, some significantly.” With more demonstrations anticipated, the police chief anticipates that the city will “continue to experience property destruction, arson, looting, and attempts to injure additional officers throughout the weekend and beyond.”

Best concluded her letter by writing that “under these circumstances, as created by Council, we cannot manage demonstrations as we have in the past. If I am not allowed to lawfully equip officers with the tools they have been trained to use to protect the community and themselves, it would be reckless to have them confront this level of violence under the current legal restrictions imposed by Council.”

Anti-police sentiments have been at an all-time high in the U.S. ever since the death of George Floyd, who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota back in May. Since then, protests have been happening all over the country, and they have been getting increasingly violent despite the fact that the liberal media portrays them as “peaceful.” New York Democrat Congressman Jerry Nadler even went as far as to call them “a myth.”