Washington state House passes police hog-tying ban [Video]

Seattle, Wash. –

The Washington state House overwhelmingly approved legislation Wednesday that would ban police from hog-tying suspects, a restraint technique that has long drawn concern because of the risk of suffocation.

“This practice is dehumanizing, and it’s dangerous,” said Democratic Rep. Sharlett Mena during the vote. “And yet hog-tying is still authorized by a small number of jurisdictions in Washington.”

The vote came nearly four years after Manuel Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, died in Tacoma, about 30 miles (50 kilometres) south of Seattle, Wash., facedown with his hands and feet cuffed together behind him. The case became a touchstone for racial justice demonstrators in the Pacific Northwest.

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“He was hog-tied by police. He pleaded he couldn’t breathe, and he died in the heart of our community,” Mena said.

The bill, which was previously passed by …