Governor ‘heartened’ by offers to clean Capitol after SLC protests

Thousands of people gathered in Salt Lake City to protest the death of a black man who died in Minneapolis police custody.

Video of the incident showed the officer using a knee restraint for nearly eight minutes despite George Floyd’s repeated protests that he is unable to breathe.

The incident reignited the conversation of police brutality and race relations in American leading Utahns to join thousands across the country in protest.

What began as a peaceful demonstration Saturday eventually became destructive. The Utah State Capitol, city offices and downtown businesses were vandalized and looted.

A group of people flipped over a police car and lit it on fire. A second car was later set on fire.

Governor Gary Herbert mobilized nearly 200 Utah National Guard members to help local law enforcement control the situation as it escalated. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall enacted a curfew for 8 pm through the weekend.

Herbert later said he was “deeply saddened” to see the defacement of the Capitol building, but he was encouraged by those who wanted to help.