For the purposes of this chapter the terms listed below shall have the following meanings:
"Civil emergency"
is defined to be any natural disaster or man-made calamity, including flood, conflagration, cyclone, tornado, earthquake, or explosion within the corporate limits of the City of Tacoma, resulting in the death or injury of persons or the destruction of property to such an extent that extraordinary measures must be taken to protect the public health, safety, and welfare.
"Curfew"
is hereby defined as a prohibition against any person or persons walking, running, loitering, standing, traveling, or motoring upon any alley, street, highway, public property or places open to the public, or vacant premises within the corporate limits of the City of Tacoma, excepting persons officially designated to duty with reference to said riot, unlawful assembly or civil emergency.
"Incendiary object"
shall mean a gasoline or other incendiary-type liquid or substance filled bottle or container with a fuse-type wick inserted in the neck thereof (commonly used in World War II), or any other type of incendiary bomb or contrivance utilizing any bottle or container filled with any inflammable liquid or chemical or combination thereof susceptible to spontaneous ignition.
"Riot"
means the use of actual force or violence by three or more persons acting together without authority of law where the use of such force or violence would endanger or tend to endanger the safety of property or persons.
"Unlawful assembly"
means any threat, actual or implied, to use force or violence when accompanied by immediate power to execute such force or violence by three or more persons acting together without authority of law and where the threat to use the same would endanger or tend to endanger the safety of property or persons.
(Ord. 18561 § 1, 1968-04-30)
Whenever the Mayor, or in the event of his inability to act the Deputy Mayor, or in the event of his inability to act any other member of the City Council acting for and instead of the Mayor, determines that an emergency exists arising out of a riot or unlawful assembly, or a civil emergency, causing or tending to cause danger of injury to persons or damage to property, he shall forthwith proclaim in writing the existence of such state of emergency, file a copy thereof in the office of the City Clerk, immediately advise all news media within the City of Tacoma of the signing of the proclamation and the contents thereof, and post copies of the proclamation at such public places as designated by the Mayor.
(Ord. 18561 § 1, 1968-04-30)
After the issuance of a written proclamation of a state of emergency, the Mayor of the City of Tacoma, or the representative of the Mayor duly authorized to act for him as provided in Section 8.96.020, may in the interest of public safety and welfare make any or all of the following orders:
A. 
Order the closing of all cocktail lounges, taverns, bars, and other places where intoxicating liquors are sold or dispensed by the drink, including all private clubs.
B. 
Order the discontinuance of the sale of all beer and wine and hard liquor, which orders, however, shall be subject to the laws of the State of Washington acting by and through the Washington State Liquor Control Board.
C. 
Prohibit the sale, distribution, or giving away of gasoline or other liquid flammable or combustible products or, in his discretion, prevent all sales thereof except sales transferred directly to a gasoline tank properly affixed to a motor vehicle, or in case of heating oil or liquefied gas into commercial or household tanks.
D. 
Order the closing of all gasoline stations and other establishments the chief activity of which is the sale, distribution, or dispensing of liquid flammable or combustible products, except for the distribution of heating oil and liquefied gas as herein in this section provided for in subsection C.
E. 
Order the discontinuance of selling, distributing, dispensing, or giving away of any firearms or ammunition of any character whatsoever.
F. 
Order the closing of all establishments, portions, or departments thereof, the chief activity of which is the sale, distribution, dispensing, or giving away of firearms and/or ammunition.
G. 
Prohibit any person or persons from carrying or possessing upon any street, alley, highway, or public place within the City of Tacoma any firearms, knives, clubs, rocks, bricks, or other weapons, objects or contrivances susceptible for use in causing injury to persons or damage to property.
H. 
Order or impose a curfew upon all citizens of the City of Tacoma, or upon citizens of certain ages within the City of Tacoma, or order a curfew applicable to such geographical areas of the city or to the city as a whole as he may deem advisable, applicable during such hours of the day or night as he deems necessary in the interest of public safety and welfare, during the hours of which no person shall be allowed in the public streets, thoroughfares or places open to the public throughout the City of Tacoma or in any duty with reference to lawful assembly, civil or emergency.
I. 
Order or designate any one or more of the public streets, thoroughfares, or places within the City of Tacoma closed to vehicular traffic and/or pedestrian traffic.
(Ord. 18561 § 1, 1968-04-30)
After the issuance of a written proclamation of a state of emergency as provided for in Section 8.96.020 of this chapter, the Mayor, or in the event of his inability to act, a majority of the Council, which may include the Mayor, may terminate, modify, or amend at any time such proclamation by written declaration thereof. A copy of such declaration shall be filed in the office of the City Clerk and notice thereof shall be given as in the case of the issuance of the proclamation of emergency as set forth in Section 8.96.020 of this chapter.
(Ord. 18561 § 1, 1968-04-30; Ord. 18839 § 1, 1969-06-03)
(Incendiary objects prohibited. Ord. 18561 § 1, 1968-04-30; repealed by Ord. 25905 § 1, 1996-05-28)
It is unlawful for any person to interfere with any police or fire official, or other public officer or employee when engaged in the performance of official duty, or to permit or assemble for the purpose of committing any act which would interfere with such officials and persons in the performance of their duty or under their direction.
(Ord. 18561 § 1, 1968-04-30)
It is unlawful for any person to engage in the activity of looting, stealing, or carrying away personal property without the owner's consent from any and all premises within the City of Tacoma during the time that a state of emergency exists; provided, that this section shall be deemed cumulative and be in addition to all other laws and ordinances of the City of Tacoma relating to the theft or larceny of personal property.
(Ord. 18561 § 1, 1968-04-30)
Any person convicted of violating the provisions of this chapter or of any executive order, rule, or regulation issued pursuant thereto, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, subject to imprisonment in the Pierce County Jail for a term not exceeding six months, and subject to a fine in an amount not exceeding $500.00, or both such fine and imprisonment.
(Ord. 18561 § 1, 1968-04-30; Ord. 22600 § 65, 1981-12-29)
If any part, article, subsection, or section of this chapter shall be held unconstitutional or invalid for any reason, such holding shall not be construed to invalidate or impair the remainder of this chapter, which shall continue in full force and effect notwithstanding such holding.
(Ord. 18561 § 1, 1968-04-30)