SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) - Nearly 80 people attended a town hall Monday evening to aimed at discussing law enforcement’s use of a restraint some believe is a chokehold.
The Racial Justice Coalition, made up of several San Diego activist groups, organized the town hall at San Diego State University’s Black Resource Center.
San Diego police officers use what they call the carotid restraint tactic, which some say looks similar to a chokehold. While a chokehold aims at blocking a person’s windpipe, the carotid restraint squeezes the arteries.
Many activist groups have long called for law enforcement officers to stop using the form of restraint, as critics say the carotid restraint and chokehold can both be deadly.
In August, California lawmakers passed stricter standards for law enforcement to engage deadly force tactics. Opponents feel that the carotid restraint should fall under that new policy.
San Diego Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, who authored the bill, couldn’t make Monday’s town hall due to a scheduling conflict. 10News spoke to her over the phone, and she pointed out that the language in her bill does not list methods of lethal force.
While it does not ban the use of the carotid restraint, it could and might limit the instances when it can be used.
