The Charlotte City Council has voted to stop funding chemical agents for police use after the city鈥檚 police boxed in and gassed demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd.

The measure to defund the chemical agents passed in a 9-2 vote Monday night after being introduced by a council member who was arrested during one of the protests, news outlets reported. After a demonstrator documented the use of gas last Tuesday in a , Mayor Vi Lyles condemned it and the police chief called it 鈥渄isturbing.鈥�

The city鈥檚 police department has spent $103,000 on chemical agents in 2020, City Budget Director Ryan Bergman said. Taking them away 鈥渨ill be a slap on the wrist鈥� for police, but it's 鈥渙ne step toward defunding the entire police department,鈥� Tin Nguyen, an organizer and attorney, told the .

Council member Ed Driggs, who voted against the ban, called it a 鈥済ratuitous dig at police.鈥�

And while the Mecklenburg County Sheriff鈥檚 Office announced earlier Monday its deputies would stop using tear gas in protests, citing tensions with the community, a local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police slammed the city council鈥檚 decision as 鈥渄angerous鈥� following the vote.

鈥淲ithout their use, this city would be on fire, and injuries would be much greater,鈥� they said in a .

The councilman who introduced the motion, Braxton Winston, said defunding chemical agents 鈥渁lone is not good enough,鈥� and urged supporters Monday to display 鈥渢he same energy tomorrow morning that you have displayed over the past few weeks.鈥�

Corine Mack, president of the Charlotte NAACP, called the motion a 鈥淏and-Aid鈥� and said it does not hold local leaders accountable. Aside from the chemical agents ban, the council approved a new budget Monday for the coming fiscal year and allocated about $290 million for city鈥檚 police department.