Here are facts: protestors vandalized the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office on July 9th, smashing windows and painting the street red. Now, seven of these protestors are facing first-degree felonies for allegations of BUYING, transporting, and/or spreading the paint. First degree felonies in Utah, typically reserved for MURDER, rape, robbery...never vandalism...carry a punishment of five years to life in prison. Life in prison. For buying paint. Prosecutors argue that this is fair because, since they protested in a group, the charge needs a “gang enhancement”. PROTESTERS ARE NOT GANGS. So why did Sim Gill, the District Attorney, charge these protestors with a first-degree felony? It could be personal retribution, anger against protestors that targeted his building. It could be retaliation against the very Black Lives Matter movement, which is shining a light on some of the more despicable things accomplished by undertrained and/or racist Utah police officers and law enforcers. It could be plea charging to try and avoid an embarrassing trial. Well, I hope you’re VERY embarrassed, @simgillda. The lives of these Utah citizens matter far more than the front of your building. We can clean buildings, we can remove paint. You can’t remove the stain of injustice when it RUINS lives. The #blacklivesmatter movement is about facing police brutality head on and ending it. 5 years to life for protest-related vandalism, for BUYING PAINT...that is police brutality as well.
