During the 2020 racial justice protests, Louisville Metro Police Department met peaceful protesters with weapons of war. The community has demanded that Louisville Metro Government prohibit the use of tear gas. Several Louisvillians who were injured by police have requested the same in their federal lawsuit challenging LMPD’s dangerous practices. Louisville’s refusal to address this issue is putting our city even more out of step with others with every day that passes. For instance, several peer cities that also stood up to say Black Lives Matter and to demand justice for Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless others, have banned tear gas and other so-called “crowd control” weapons – including Indianapolis, St. Louis, Charlotte, and Columbus. Not only is tear gas a dangerous weapon in the moments when it is used, it also poses unknown long-term health risks. As our city leaders, you say you want to improve our trust in LMPD and in your administration. Now is the time. You cannot say you value the city of Louisville and its people, but allow your police department to tear gas us for demanding justice. You cannot say you want us to trust the LMPD but allow them to shoot us, blind us, or terrorize us for no reason. I respectfully urge you to take this reasonable action that several other cities have already taken, and ban the use of tear gas by LMPD. Thank you for your time and consideration.