Protesters and Police Square Off
For the record BLKThought does not condone violence. With that being said, in Utah Gov. Gary Herbert issued a state of emergency for civil unrest until Monday at midnight. He also closed the state capitol to all but staff and officers.
So, how did we get here? After the announcement that Salt Lake City District Attorney, Sim Gill, gave a statement justifying the shooting of 22 year old, Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal, protesters erupted in anger and they clashed with Police.
The protesters had been active there for weeks, you know protesting. When they heard this news they marched on the major street, 500 S. In this march, protesters were reported to have pepper sprayed cops, blocked traffic with people and cars, and broke windows.
It’s also reported that Police retaliated by ramming a car blocking traffic with their own. They also pushed down protesters and clubbed them. Protesters also were reported to have thrown red paint in front of the district attorney’s office. Hell of a lot of symbolism in the last sentence.
I will let you guys form your own opinions about the ruling by the Salt Lake City district attorney’s office and the unit of the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake. The video of the shooting is below, be cautious as you watch.
The Mayor, Erin Mendenhall, made a statement, “I know that for some, today’s decision does not feel like justice. It has become increasingly apparent in our city and across the nation that there is a difference between what so many feel is morally correct, and what is considered appropriate and justified under the law.” Mayor Mendenhall also stated that the district attorney’s report gave “significant evidence of the justifiable actions” of the officers, but said it was going to disappoint people who wanted the officers to face charges.
Protesters were outside for weeks protesting police brutality and racism and were on edge already. Hearing that somebody who got shot by the police wasn’t going to have any charges to rectify his death threw them over the edge. Again we will let you decide how you feel about Bernardo’s death, and how Utah is in a State of Emergency.
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