SALT LAKE CITY – The Black Lives Matter #BLM movement has been getting support from all directions since protests and riots began around the country on May 30 in support of George Floyd, a Minneapolis resident that was killed by the hands of police officers last month.
On Thursday evening, support came through the thunderous sound of skateboards smacking concrete at Liberty Park that could be heard throughout the surrounding neighborhoods.
More than 1,000 people funneled into the Salt Lake City park from all directions on skateboards, bicycles, roller-blades, and scooters to attend the Skate for Solidarity peaceful protest. Most arriving were in their 20’s and 30’s, and carried signs reading “black lives matter” and “don’t shoot”.
Protesters gathered around a concrete pavilion near the Tracey Aviary.
Through the loud sounds of the crowd chanting “peaceful protest” and “say his name,” you could hear skateboard trucks squeaking and decks slapping the ground.
This was no ordinary protest.
A skate session developed at the heart of the crowd, where police officers wearing riot gear have been standing during other protests.
A line formed at the edge of a half-circle two set stairway where skaters took turns riding the concourse and ollying into various tricks off the end. Each trick followed by a huge applause by those attending.
Standing in line waiting his turn to ride, Ty Hadley, event speaker and Salt Lake City resident, knew his local skate community was going to show up, but didn’t expect for the event to get this big.
“I’m astounded at the turnout,” Hadley said. “We called on the skate community today and they answered in a big way.”
Similar protests have occurred in cities in San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, and Portland earlier in the week, spurring local skaters to hold a session of their own.
“I’m here to show support for Black Lives Matter and to protest all the fucked-up stuff that is going on right now,” said Brandon Johnson. “A lot of people are dying by the hands of bad cops. I don’t think all cops are bad, but the justice system needs to be reformed.”
Once the skate session was over and community organizers spoke about the importance of getting educated about racial injustice, the crowd broke to skate through the street.
Police officers had already stopped traffic on 900 South anticipating the abundance of skateboard traffic to flood the streets.
Rolling down the middle of downtown streets, skaters followed the path down 500 East to their destination at the Salt Lake City County building located at 500 South State Street.
“I’ve never seen so many people skate down one street in my entire life,” Hadley said as he was stopping traffic at an intersection along the route for his fellow protesters.
Protest organizers urged the crowd to stick together as they left the park for downtown, and the promise to “protest peacefully” was carried out by all those who attended.
The streets remained full for about an hour as those who attended made the mini-marathon approach into downtown.
Some of the protesters made their way up to Capitol Hill after arriving to the City County building, but many remained in the grass in the shadows of the Federal Courthouse where they stopped traffic at 400 South State Street.
Salt Lake City local, Kael Kindman, said that while it’s been great watching these events take place, he wanted to do more than just hold a sign and be present. He works in the healthcare industry and felt that his role would be better filled on the side-lines.
“I’m not coordinated enough to skate or do any of this type of stuff and I wanted to find a way to participate,” Kindman said. “After watching these events on the news where nobody is wearing masks, I felt I should do my part and help in the way I knew how.”
Kindman had a truck full of water and snacks for participants riding in the 90-degree heat, and he confirmed it was used as bait to also supply face masks and hand sanitizer to those in need.
“I knew people were going to be roasting approaching the finish line and wanted to make sure they were taken care of since they’re in a big group,” Kindman said.
No arrests were made during the protest and streets were back to normal before 9 p.m. that night.
“There’re not a lot of us skaters in the black community here in Utah and I’m happy about the turnout,” Hadley said. “I think we got a lot accomplished today. These events are opening people’s eyes around the country. We need to keep the momentum going.”
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