A summer of protests, in photos

In the era of COVID-19, it was only supposed to be a car caravan protest, as Utahns took to the streets to voice their outrage over the death of George Floyd. 

The original press release said, “We’ll begin the caravan around the block containing the SLCPD station at 11:30 am. We’ll go clockwise around the block. 5th South, then 3rd East, then 4th South, then 4th East, all right turns, then repeat. Honk as you pass the SLCPD station. We discourage anyone from participating in this demonstration unless they are in a vehicle.“

But things changed quickly when the protesters left their cars to gather in person in solidarity.  

Western Kentucky University photojournalism student Ivy Ceballo was just starting the final month of her internship with the Deseret News and was one of the photographers assigned to the benign event.

“There was a lot of pain and outrage at what had happened. It was surprising to see this in Utah. Especially with me being a woman of color. Just knowing Utah is predominantly white. I didn’t think what the nation saw happening to George Floyd would have such a big impact in Salt Lake City,” she said.

“I remember a woman of color leading a chant at the protest. I remember tearing up hearing her speak,” Cabello said as she looked back on that day.

After a police car was flipped over and word spread that protesters might light it on fire, Cabello was trying to stay safe and alert.

“That’s the moment that shocked me,” she said.

Both Ceballo and staff photographer Jeff Allred were assigned to cover the protest. Originally assigned to a concert in Tooele, Allred was called off that event and rerouted to the unrest that was unfolding in downtown Salt Lake City.

“There was chaos like I’ve never seen. And I’ve been around the block. ... It was pandemonium,” recalled Allred about first arriving on scene.

“I thought, ‘This is a really big deal. This is a very unsafe situation.’ I feared for my safety,” he recalled.

“So to get the best pictures, I thought I should be between the protests and police. There was a small gap,” explained the veteran photographer entering his fourth decade covering news.

“I remember seeing a guy about to throw a water bottle at the police shortly after. It’s a reactionary thing so I’m shooting low and wide. I’m thinking I’m going to get hit. I was trying to keep my head on a swivel and watch both the police and protesters” Allred said.

As things literally heated up, we made the decision to bring in additional photographers, allowing those on scene to safely get back to their vehicles where they could edit on their laptops and electronically send their images into our system to publish immediately to the web.

Throughout the afternoon and into the evening, they photographed while dodging airborne debris being hurled in the direction of the police. They documented the fights that broke out, often just feet from them. And eventually they photographed the final push by police to disperse the unruly crowd, often being in harm’s way between law enforcement and the protesters.

These are just a few of the many powerful images they captured during the protest on that fateful day and in the days and week of protests following that.