Salt Lake police prepare for mass demonstrations this weekend
Jun 12, 2025, 6:00 AM | Updated: 8:15 am
SALT LAKE CITY — Multiple demonstrations are planned for the next few days across Utah. Saturday in particular is being called a nationwide “day of defiance” against authoritarianism.
A “No Kings” protest is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. at the University of Utah Marriott Library Courtyard. Another is scheduled for later that day at 6 p.m. at Pioneer Park. Other protests are planned in Provo, Ephraim and additional cities.
Police in Salt Lake City are getting ready for what might happen, although spokesperson Brent Weisberg said Wednesday the department doesn’t have any indication of plans for violence or civil unrest.
However, given what’s happened in major U.S. cities recently, Weisberg said officials are “taking a proactive effort to make sure that we have enough resources to maintain the operational readiness of the Salt Lake City Police Department.”
Multiple Waymo taxis burn near the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following an immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
The police department would not share any specifics about those plans, including how many extra officers they plan to have on duty this weekend. But Weisberg said Salt Lake City is getting ready “out of an abundance of caution” and is coordinating with other cities to have mutual aid available just in case.
“We are not going to allow for violence, property destruction or criminal activity to occur in our city,” Weisberg said. “We want to make sure that these demonstrations are safe, they are lawful, and that the participants can gather safely and lawfully to make sure that their opinions and their beliefs are heard.”
Salt Lake City Police spokesperson Brent Weisberg speaks to reporters on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo: Mark Less, KSL TV)
Multiple protests in 2020 in Salt Lake City led to rioting and property damage. Weisberg said the police department has learned from those incidents and will be ready this weekend.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is also warning protesters not to engage in any violence or lawlessness.
“The minute you start to spray paint the Capitol, the second you start to implement violence or property damage: We will arrest you and hold you accountable,” Cox said during his monthly news conference earlier this week.
The governor reiterated that in a statement Wednesday.
“My office is coordinating closely with state and local law enforcement to ensure safety and uphold the rule of law. We are prepared,” Cox said. “To those who exercise their rights peacefully in the coming days: thank you. That’s the Utah way. Breaking the law in the name of protest will not be tolerated.”
