Inland Port Demonstrators Rally Outside Salt Lake Police Department
Jul 23, 2019, 11:56 PM | Updated: Jul 24, 2019, 11:46 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Two weeks after a protest turned violent inside the building that houses the Salt Lake Chamber, some of the same demonstrators showed up at the doorstep of Salt Lake City Police Department to call for accountability for administrators and consequences for some of the officers.
“They specifically started attacking people and targeting the most marginalized among us,” said Dave Newlin of Utahns Against Police Brutality. “That’s what happened. That’s what I saw with my eyes.”
On July 9, eight people were arrested and five were taken to jail after protestors stormed the Chamber building.
Video recordings of what unfolded showed violence on both sides as police tried to clear people from the space.
One camera angle appeared to show an officer throwing a punch at Newlin just outside the exterior doors on the main floor.
“Watch the video, man,” Newlin said. “Let the video evidence speak for itself, right? I have no idea why this officer decided he needed to lash out. I wasn’t a threat to anybody. In fact, I was trying to make sure that everybody was safe.”
Demonstrators said charges should be filed against some officers while cases should be dropped against their fellow protesters.
Police referred back to their prior statements, namely from Chief Mike Brown on July 10.
“Our officers were spit on, scratched, kicked, punched and had bottles and different items thrown at them,” Brown told reporters that day.
Brown also said multiple reviews were underway into what happened, including an internal affairs audit.
A spokesman for Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said Tuesday his office continued to review all cases involving the protestors.
Demonstrators also renewed their calls to stop plans for an inland port, currently slated to occupy thousands of acres of the west side of the Salt Lake Valley north and south of Interstate 80.
