Protesters have gathered for weeks in front of the downtown Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, mostly sticking to their promise of showing up every evening until law enforcement released its investigation into the death of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal.
Droves of them came out and yelled for justice, for murder charges to be filed against the two officers who shot 22-year-old Palacios-Carbajal as he ran from police, dropping and picking up a gun three times as he stumbled away.
On Thursday, protesters got the report. They didn’t get the charges.
And they kept another promise, one they’ve chanted for more than a month to anyone who would listen: “No justice. No peace.”
In their eyes, they got no justice, so there’d be no peace.
Organizer Sofia Alcala began the protest vowing as much, “They will feel the wrath of the f---ing community today.”
Protesters arrived at the district attorney’s office in Salt Lake City at 6 p.m. They chanted, and held up signs. Thirty minutes after the demonstration was scheduled to start, about 150 were there.
“How many shots?” was the call. “Thirty-four,” came the crowd’s response.
That’s how many times police shot at Palacios-Carbajal on May 23.
Some protesters standing around the DA’s office planned for confrontations with police, sharing a permanent marker to write down phone numbers on their arms in case of arrest. Activist accounts posted tips to hide their identities and avoid arrest on social media.
Police and city officials planned for the same. Police sent media a heads-up about the use of riot police on Thursday. City managers told employees in an email to plan to work from home on Thursday and Friday.
As the protest got underway, demonstrators spilled red paint on the street. It’s the second time they’ve done it. They say it is a metaphor for the blood on the hands of District Attorney Sim Gill’s hands when he doesn’t file charges against police.
As protester’s painted the road, they asked others there to hold up signs to stop people from filming them. Soon, they moved to paint streaks on steps leading into the DA’s office and its glass facade.
At one point they encircled a gaggle of broadcast news reporters to block their cameras.
Just before 7 p.m., the group had grown to around 300 and started marching.
The Salt Lake Tribune will update this article.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/2ZSsKj7
July 10, 2020 at 06:38AM
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