NEW ORLEANS – The ACLU Of Louisiana issued the following statement regarding the deployment of tear gas against protesters during Wednesday’s protest in New Orleans.
“We are dismayed and horrified by the violent and unlawful deployment of tear gas against demonstrators after a week of peaceful protest in New Orleans,” said Alanah Odoms Hebert, ACLU of Louisiana executive director. “This excessive use of force against protesters exacerbates the pain and anguish of Black communities, imperils public health, and infringes on people’s fundamental right to make their voices heard. We demand an immediate, independent investigation of this incident and a complete halt to chemical warfare against protesters and journalists. This is a moment of reckoning for our country and our community – and New Orleans officials must commit themselves now to ending the violence and brutality that has claimed countless Black lives and continues to inflict devastating harm on our communities.”
