Organizers closed the event early and canceled a planned march due to cold, snowy weather.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Snow falls during a rally at the Federal Building in Salt Lake City on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 18, 2021.
A rally backing black lives and strong police surveillance calling on incoming Joe Biden government to focus on an “agenda for working people” came under fire Monday after a blizzard blown in.
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Utah Against Police Brutality organized the rally and about 60 people gathered in the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in downtown Salt Lake City. Speakers called for more community police control, action on climate change, immigration reform, an end to bailouts for the rich and immediate relief for those still facing economic insecurity due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re here today because Joe Biden won the election, and we have to go to hell,” an organizer named Adrian, who would not name a surname, told the crowd. “We need to remind him that hundreds of people in the US, probably more, are out of work, on the streets and begging for help.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Snow falls during a rally at the Federal Building in Salt Lake City on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 18, 2021.
After the violent uprising on January 6 at the American Capitol, organizers of Monday’s protest came prepared for possible clashes with counter-protesters. About ten people wore bright yellow building jackets and acted as security.
“We moved it to today to hopefully avoid it,” said Emma Fryer, an organizer entering an information desk at the rally. “We would do an Inauguration Day thing, but hoping to avoid clashes, we chose today. But I think things have calmed down a lot ”since the uprising earlier this month.
Fryer added that Martin Luther King Jr. Day was also an appropriate holiday to host the demonstration, because ‘we are here too … to celebrate his mission and talk about the things he fought for.’
The rallies waved the flags of Black Lives Matter and held signs asking for immigrant rights. They heard well-known calls heard during the summer during protests against police violence, including “No justice, no peace” and “Hey, ho, ho, ho, these killers must go.”
However, the cold consumed much of the crowd’s energy.
Adrian, who apparently acted as head of the event, led the crowd in a chant that referred to the weather. ‘We’re cold! We’re wet! Cancel the debt! ”
A blizzard moved about 30 minutes after the protest, and organizers scrambled to cover loudspeakers and hide the participants under the porch of the federal building while uniformed police officers looked inside.
While snow was falling, a speaker named Jacari with Black Lives Matter North said, ‘Without justice there will be no peace,’ quoting Martin Luther King Jr.: ‘Those who love peace should learn to just to organize as efficiently as those who love war. . ”
The event ended at 5pm, an hour after it started, without any conflict. Organizers set off a planned march and caravan due to the cold.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Carl Moore leads prey while snow falls during a rally at the Federal Building in Salt Lake City on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 18, 2021.
To conclude the protest, Pandos indigenous activist and chairman Carl Moore offered a prayer asking for protection from the cold and snow, freedom from oppression and food and shelter for those in need. He also asked that the incoming president be blessed.
But numerous police officers and National Guard troops maintained a perimeter in the capital of Utah. The Boogaloos call the massive presence of law enforcers a ‘joke’ and harassed officers from their vantage point south of the Capitol entrance.
Police say increased security – which was called for after the FBI warned of possible violence over the weekend – helped ensure the small protest remained peaceful.