Tear Gas as a Policing Technology: Black Lives Matter and Limits of Speech

Abstract

This case study examines the ethical, political, and historical implications of using tear gas and other police technologies in response to political protests, focusing on the 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstrations in Charlotte, North Carolina. It situates tear gas as both a practical tool and a moral statement about the limits of acceptable political speech in democratic societies. Through the lens of Science and Technology Studies (STS), the study considers how protest policing technologies shape public discourse, restrict civic engagement, and produce uneven vulnerabilities—particularly for protesters with health conditions or from marginalized communities. Drawing from historical protest movements in Charlotte and a detailed analysis of the events of June 2, 2020, the case reveals how tactics like kettling, surveillance, and the deployment of tear gas suppress dissent and escalate conflict. It also highlights the counterstrategies of activists, including digital documentation and street medic networks. Ultimately, the study raises critical questions about the normalization of force in protest governance and the long-term social consequences of repressing political expression through technological means.