While protesting is highly protected under our First Amendment, surely there must be some limitations. In particular, our governmental officials decided that our right to freedom of assembly must be limited because of a fear that doing so would spread COVID-19 infections and overwhelm our public health system, specifically our hospitals and the ICU beds. Notwithstanding, the government has not been transparent on how likely we are to reach the capacity of our hospital ICU beds.
However, our governmental officials have done nothing to limit the frequency of the protesters who have nightly taken over the downtown streets and sidewalks in Salt Lake City. In fact, Mayor Erin Mendenhall has been praising these protesters, notwithstanding that some of them have been violent and destructive of property in addition to being disrespectful to law enforcement officials by spitting, yelling and throwing harmful objects at them. While the city limits or cancels gatherings like the Days of ’47 Parade, now postponed to 2021, and other parades and events, the city seems indifferent to limiting the current protesters.
How long will the city allow these protesters to take away our ability to drive through the downtown streets or walk freely on the sidewalks? Are not my rights being infringed upon by the granting the protesters control over our streets day after day after day? It has now been more than a week since they began. How long and how much is enough? It really has to come to and end so that everyone can have the same freedom of assembly in our downtown area.
Mike Jensen
Salt Lake City