Summer of Discontent -- Activists are facing criminal charges for a massive protest against the

Activists are facing criminal charges for a massive protest against the inland port. Will the opposition back down?


A messy protest against the state's inland port this summer triggered a series of legal repercussions, including felony riot charges. A 73-page charging document filed by Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill in 3rd District Court last month outlines numerous allegations against 10 activists involved in the July rally at the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce.

According to the court filing, one protester, Jackson Richman, allegedly spat in the face of a police officer during a scuffle as a crowd chanted "fuck the police!" in the building's lobby. Upstairs, as dozens of protesters shouted and sang during a sit-in on the sixth floor, Randy Navarette was caught on surveillance cameras yelling and stomping his feet atop the chamber's reception desk. Later, Richman and another protester, Joshua Baker-Cooper, allegedly went after a bicyclist across the street while a TV news cameraman tried to film them.

Then there was the mystery-person who apparently used bodily fluids as a form of revolt.

According to the charging document, Paul Gallegos, owner of Salt Lake-based cleaning and property maintenance company Wasatch Property Services Inc., submitted a statement to the district attorney claiming that he detected the smell of "human urine" in several of the chamber's offices while cleaning up after the protest. He also saw "what appeared to be human feces" left behind on the floor of a cubicle.

"Mr. Gallegos described the feces as being fresh," the document states.

Read more: https://www.cityweekly.net/utah/summer-of-discontent/Content?oid=14405848
(Salt Lake City Weekly)