Typically, police block off streets where we’re marching and keep their distance. However, today they were using various intimidation tactics to encourage us to give up and go home. Soon after we began marching, they ran to block us off. They approached us at the first intersection and began reading so BS about us being in violation of the law, we weren’t. We kept marching. At the next intersection we tried to approach, they came out with two extra vans loaded with armed officers. They blocked us into a parking lot so we cut across the back of a building to the next street. They then rushed over to us and came toe to toe with our organizers.
It seemed the police were planning to arrest every last person today. We linked arms and walked from intersection to intersection for safety.
Things got heated but we were peaceful and within our rights so we marched on. For the duration of our march, the Salt Lake Police kept rushing over to us and standing in our faces with large guns, trying to intimate us to go home. We only had about 80 people today. Given this smaller number is perhaps why they used these particular tactics today.
For more, click here to read today’s protest coverage by Salt Lake Tribune.