LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Police Department is once again facing scrutiny regarding its use of “less lethal” weapons to control crowds, after peaceful protesters say they were hit and left with ...

This article was originally published on our sister publication The Portland Mercury‘s blog Blogtown, where you can find ongoing coverage of Portland’s protests related to the killing of George Floyd.

Here's what the weapons are, how and when they're used, and why they're controversial.

Jesus Javier Gomez Islas, 23, says he was at an anti-ICE protest in late January when he was hit in the right eye by a less-lethal munition fired by law enforcement. (Gary Coronado / For The Times) A ...

Micah Moore and Tucker Collins lost their hearing and sight, respectively, after being shot at 'No Kings' protests. They're ...

THE PROTESTER was standing motionless on SW Yamhill and Broadway last Friday when he was bombarded with “pepper ball” shots from gas mask-clad riot police lined up about 20 yards away. Seconds earlier ...

This post was updated April 28 at 7:34 p.m. It was natural to find aspiring journalist and UCLA student Parker Hupf snapping photographs of the crowd from a freeway overpass during a June 2025 ...