Many times, previously incidents in Ferguson area finished with tear gas use. ” There was no distinction drawn in the way peaceful protesters were treated and the way criminals were treated, even though the police do make those distinctions in other situations,” the judge said in her argumentation, after nine hours of testimonies. The police defended their actions, which they said were necessary to protect properties and lives. In fact protesters were forced to move every five minutes or be arrested and as it resulted people were punished in many cases without doing something dangerous. This lawsuit was filed by a diverse group including young protesters, a legal observer, and a St. Louis business owner. The use of tear gas, in particular, was cited in an Amnesty International report accusing St. Louis police of human rights abuses.
