SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — Protests in Salt Lake City calling for justice following the death of George Floyd took a turn late Saturday afternoon at the corner of 200 East and 400 South when protestors overturned a police car and set it on fire.
The vehicle’s windows were shattered, and before the fire was set, some members of the crowd were standing on top of the car dancing and waving signs; others in the crowd denounced such actions.
As of about 3:40 p.m., the car was in flames.
Meanwhile, a couple of armed men stood at one street corner, saying they were protecting protestors.
“It’s definitely starting to get out of hand here in Salt Lake City,” KSL TV’s Alex Cabrero said in a Facebook Live video.
The day’s protests started peaceably at the Salt Lake City Public Safety Building about 11 a.m., with protesters calling for justice in the death of George Floyd.
Floyd, a black man, died May 25 near Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed a knee to his neck for more than eight minutes. The incident was caught on video, and protesters have come out in cities all across the country demanding justice for Floyd.
Utah organizers created events with the intent to peacefully honor Floyd’s death. The event in Salt Lake City was intended to be an in-car protest only. Protestors were asked to drive by in their vehicles and honk at the public safety building as they circled the block.
Hundreds of protestors on foot circled the Salt Lake City Library several times before filling the sidewalks in front of the Salt Lake City Police Department public safety building, holding signs reading “Justice for George,” “White Silence” and “Stop Police Brutality.”
Aaron Campbell, a man with protest experience, attempted to organize on-foot protestors in groups of 20 to obey social distancing requirements before they were “swarmed by a large group of about a hundred.”
Protestors with loudspeakers led chants such as: “This is what democracy looks like!” “Black Lives Matter” and “I can’t breathe.” Protestors cheered and raised signs amid the ruckus, still backed by constant honking and the revving of motorcycles.
As chants continued, two protestors scaled the entryway of the precinct and spray painted the building with the words “George Floyd,” “(expletive) da police” and “Enough is Enough,” among other things.
Passing cars honked and many of their windows were painted with protest slogans or posters.
Egg shells and food remained littered the steps after the protestors left, and tomatoes and empty egg cartons were discovered nearby.
Campbell said a man on a Harley Davidson motorcycle helped break up the protest in front of the police building when he slowly drove through the crowd and encouraged organizers to continue walking. Many obeyed the suggestion and much of the crowd dispersed, though smaller groups remained on street corners and in front of the building.
Construction signs, local bus stations and the Utah Transit Authority’s Library Station were also vandalized.
Protests continued at the Utah Capitol Building, where hundreds gathered on the steps and peaceful continued chants. Some protestors passed out water and others scaled light posts. A rainbow LGBTQ+ pride flag billowed in the wind in front of the building, and passing motorcyclists continued to rev their engines to cheers.
No physical violence was reported at any of the protest’s locations, though additional graffiti reading “Blue Lives Murder” and “No Justice, no peace,” among others, covered areas of the steps and grounds. Graffiti was also found on the Capitol’s front windows, much of it painted in red. Protest signs were also taped to the windows.
Hundreds knelt on the front steps with fists in the air in tribute of George Floyd, and a protestors with a loudspeaker gave a brief speech denouncing police brutality and encouraging protestors to remain active because “showing up is not enough” to end injustice, he said.