More than 200 individuals have filed lawsuits against Philadelphia Police Department, alleging that police used excessive force when responding to protests in May and June of 2020. Several thousand people participated in a series of protests during that timespan, and over 2000 arrests were made for looting, property damage, and related violations. Police response included the use of teargas and rubber bullets.

Some citizens were caught in the crossfire, injuring innocent bystanders. The Philadelphia City Council passed a bill in October 2020 to ban police from using "less lethal" munitions (including teargas and non-lethal projectiles) for crowd control. They wanted to require the police department to create a written policy disallowing the use of these methods. 

Mayor Jim Kenney responded on November 11 that "the Police Department's policy already prohibits the use of force on individuals engaged in peaceful, constitutionally protected First Amendment activities, even if a protestor passively resists Police commands." Still, when the law is being broken, "the bill's prohibition does not apply."

Some believe that police department have no legitimate reason to use chemical agents and non-lethal projectiles for crowd dispersal. According to Joseph Nwadiuko, a physician at the University of Pennsylvania, people who come in contact with tear gas "can sustain substantial skin burns and dangerous blood pressure elevations." He states that it can also trigger asthma attacks, swelling of the lungs, blindness, and liver damage. Supporters of banning "less lethal munitions" say that using these tactics creates an unnecessary risk to civilians, and police need to employ different methods to arrest offenders.

Others maintain that police are within their right to use these tools to disband crowds violating the law safely. They point out numerous laws broken during the Philadelphia protests, in which 1,703 businesses reported damage, and at least 60 law enforcement officers were injured (42 required hospitalization). Supporters of this viewpoint believe that by using "less lethal munitions," police officers were able to prevent the violence from escalating further.

The topic up for debate: Should the Philadelphia city council have banned police use of tear gas and rubber bullets on protesters?