Officials Issue Weekend Curfew For Salt Lake City
May 30, 2020, 6:52 PM | Updated: May 31, 2020, 12:14 pm
(Alex Cabrero/KSL TV)
(Alex Cabrero/KSL TV)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Officials have issued a curfew for Salt Lake City that lasts through 6 a.m. Monday.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and SLC Police Chief Mike Brown announced the curfew just after 6:30 p.m. Saturday. It began at 8 p.m.
“I feel the pain and the anger from the atrocious murder of George Floyd,” Mendenhall said. “I’m angry and I’m heartbroken with you. But violence looting and destruction of property is only causing more pain. What’s happening on our streets right now is not justice.”
caring for a family member, friend, or animal; traveling to the airport; seeking medical care; fleeing dangerous circumstances; or experiencing homelessness
Private businesses may remain open, but people may not be out on the streets/in public places for reasons other than these— SLC Mayor Erin Mendenhall (@slcmayor) May 31, 2020
Brown said the curfew will be enforced throughout the entire city until 6 a.m. on June 1.
SLC PD said exceptions include: “Law enforcement, fire, paramedics or other medical personnel, news media, people traveling directly to and from work, traveling directly to and from the airport, seeking medical care, fleeing dangerous circumstances, or those experiencing homelessness.”
Businesses will also be allowed to open during the curfew.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall issued an emergency proclamation enacting a curfew on May 30, 2020, at 8 p.m. for…
Posted by SLC Police on Saturday, May 30, 2020
Governor Gary Herbert said he authorized the activation of up to 200 national guardsmen to take part in enforcing the curfew.
Herbert explained there will be hundreds of officers enforcing the curfew, all of it being coordinated out of the Emergency Operations Center at the Utah State Capitol.
“We have a unified command where we’ve combined the efforts of our public safety people, our highway patrol and troopers, as well as the Salt Lake City Police Department,” he said. “We are joined by 13 other cities and their police representatives here too. Make no mistake that we will do whatever is necessary to restore order to our state — to our capital city, Salt Lake City.”
We call upon the good people of Utah to engage civilly and to act peaceably as they seek to exercise their First Amendment rights.
— Gov. Gary Herbert (@GovHerbert) May 30, 2020
“We honor the ability for people to assemble and to issue their complaints and address the government and peaceful protesting,” Herbert said. “Unfortunately, what I’ve seen in the last few hours is that it has gone from a peaceful protest to just criminal behavior. I think we need to call it what it is criminal behavior where people are looking to riot to loot and to create violence and that’s not acceptable.”
