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SALT LAKE CITY — As the sun set over Salt Lake City on Saturday night, a group of peaceful protesters paused as they had several times before, in the intersection of South Temple and Main, to wait for the whole group to catch up.
The group marched from the Capitol to 300 West and 900 South, the area where Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal was shot.
Bodycam video shows that Palacios, 22, stumbled twice as he tried to run from police officers — while still carrying a gun — before he was shot in the back and killed on May 23. At least 20 shots can be heard, all fired from close range. The incident began when officers responded to a call about threats with a gun near 900 South and 300 West around 2 a.m. Two officers have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by Unified police.
About two hours earlier Saturday, the group had stretched from the beginning of a city block to the end. Now, about two hours later, the size of the group had diminished by about half.
The group walked through the streets of Salt Lake, at one point past a building with faded lettering that read, "What is the source of stress problems and negative emotions in your life?" shouting various chants that have become standard to many protests.
"Whose streets?"
"Our streets!"
"Say his name!"
"George Floyd!"
One man in sneakers and salmon-colored shorts, hopped from foot to foot, leading the crowd in call-and-response chants of “We’re not tired!” as the group made its way back to the Capitol building.
The man, who identified himself to KSL.com as Koyom Koyom, didn’t know Palacios. He’s been at protests all week, and met Palacios’ brother the previous night. He showed up Saturday to help.
“I’m just a regular guy looking for change,” Koyom told KSL.com. “In Salt Lake, we family. We gotta support each other.”
Helping seemed to be the theme Saturday night. What started as a vigil organized by the Rose Park Brown Berets for Palacios, who was shot and killed by police in Salt Lake, seemed to fuse with a march organized by the Salt Lake Equal Rights Movement for Breonna Taylor, who died in March when police broke down the door of the apartment in an attempted drug sting; she was shot by police eight times after her boyfriend said he fired in self-defense. A wrongful death lawsuit on her behalf is pending.
Police cleared intersections in every direction as protesters marched. One man on a motorcycle spent the night driving ahead of the group, making sure intersections remained clear. As the group walked up State Street to the Capitol, the man on the motorcycle yelled out to the crowd that the woman in the car behind him was a nurse who needed to get to the hospital. Protesters quickly parted the way, thanking the woman for her service as she drove by.
Earlier in the evening, protesters voiced their thoughts over loudspeakers, calling to “Jail the killer cops,” while people made their way through the crowd, handing out masks, chips, ponchos and bottles of water.
Bunches of roses, cups with candles inside and votive candles made up a memorial set up on a cement median south of the Capitol.
Klli, 19, driving a white truck with a red cross, and the words “I can’t breathe” and “black lives matter” said they drove up from Spanish Fork to offer a warm truck, food and first aid if needed.
Klli, who declined to give their last name and identified as transgender, cited the help they had received as a result of the Stonewall Riots, and came out of support, because “it’s kinda like my duty to have to come out here and help people out just as much as they helped my community out.”
Tiffani and Sara, who declined to give their last names, pulled a red wagon filled with water bottles and granola bars for protesters, with a sign that read “BLM” taped on the back. They saw protesters who needed water last week and brought extras Saturday.
“We’re focusing our efforts on the black people in our country who are hurting,” Tiffani said.
One woman who declined to be identified, led the crowd through the streets on the way to 300 West and 900 South, leading chants as she walked. She said she is part of the Rose Park Brown Berets, and had mutual friends who knew Palacios.
“We want justice,” she said.
Emily, who did not give her last name, said she didn’t know Palacios but is from the same community where he lived, Rose Park. She never ran into Palacios, but the two share several acquaintances.
Just 24 hours after the release of body camera video footage of the police shooting that killed Palacios, Emily said the community is mourning his loss. But community members are also tired of staying silent, she said.
“We’re tired of just being silent,” Emily said. “I think the brown community needs to speak up a lot more, the Latino community needs to speak up a lot more and not remain silent. But we’re mourning and this is the best way to do it.”
Continuing to speak up against injustice should be a major part of police reform, she added.
“I would like for people to speak up a lot more in our communities, to come out of the shadows and realize that it does affect us in every way,” she said of systemic racism. “We don’t want it to continue, we need them to speak up.”
Protester Jessica Hernandez, who is Hispanic, said it was important for her to use her voice and support the movement. Since she is Hispanic, she said she feels more affected by racism and it hurts her to see injustice happening.
“It just honestly hurts my heart to see all this happening and to sit down and not do nothing, I feel like… it’s not right for me,” she said. “We just all need love and peace.”
