People were gathering in front of the Utah Capitol Saturday evening, in an eighth straight day of protests in Salt Lake City.
About 200 people held signs that read “Don’t Shoot” and “Black Lives Matter,” and cheered as passing cars honked and waved in support. Rain started to come down around 6 p.m. as organizers set up a vigil for Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal — a 22-year-old man who was shot and killed by Salt Lake City police two weeks ago.
“Justice for Bernardo!” some yelled as Utah Highway Patrol troopers milled around the Capitol grounds, which have been closed for most of this week after it was vandalized during last Saturday.
Protesters had gathered earlier in the day at City Hall in downtown Salt Lake City and at the University of Utah.
Outside City Hall, a crowd of at least 100 people listened to community activists, teachers, students, religious leaders and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.
U. student MJ Powell spoke about the history of racism in the U.S. and read a list of names of black people killed by police, noting he was a friend of Elijah Smith, one of 19 people killed by police in 2018.
“This is why we say Black Lives Matter," he said, "and if you don’t understand by now, unfortunately, you’re part of the problem. Use your platform to help the oppressed and push for change.”
Mendenhall told the crowd she wanted everyone to know they are welcome to protest at City Hall, calling it their front lawn. She said she keeps near her desk a 1940s red line map, which showed banks the minority Salt Lake City neighborhoods where they shouldn’t lend money, as a reminder of the past and how communities still feel repercussions from it.
“This [movement] is about every system and every statute and every law that is on the books that was built on a racist foundation," she said.
The crowd then marched to the city’s Public Safety Building, where they were met by police Chief Mike Brown.
At the University of Utah, hundreds drove from Guardsman Way to the U.'s public safety building. Cars covered with Black Lives Matter messages were filled with protestors holding signs demanding justice and police reform, as passing motorists honked their horns to show support.
Palacios-Carbajal was killed in the early morning of May 23 after police responding to a call of a gun threat chased him for several blocks when he ran from a motel. Body camera footage released Friday afternoon showed the officers encountered Palacios at the Utah Village Motel, 271 W. 900 South, just after 2 a.m. One officer yells, “Show me your hands!” as Palacios starts to run away.
The officers chased Palacios-Carbajal for several blocks, and he stumbled several times before two officers fired at least 20 shots at him while he was trying to run away.
It doesn’t appear from the body cam videos from the three officers that Palacios-Carbajal ever pointed a gun at them. Police say a weapon was found near him after he was shot.His family has called for accountability, and elected leaders asked for a speedy investigation of the police’s use of force.
The Salt Lake Tribune will update this developing story.
Libby Seline and Zoi Walker contributed to this report.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/06/06/protests-continue-salt/
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