- Two Utah courthouses reduce staff ahead of planned protests for safety.
- Protests include anti-immigration enforcement and "No Kings" gatherings, urging peaceful demonstrations.
- State leaders stress zero tolerance for violence, ensuring protest rights and law enforcement.
SALT LAKE CITY — Two courthouses in Utah are reducing their staff as a precaution ahead of planned protests.
A number of demonstrations are planned across the state over the next several days, including one against Immigration and Customs Enforcement Thursday evening at Washington Square Park in Salt Lake City.
With these protests, the Scott M. Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City and the 4th District Courthouse in Provo are asking nonessential employees to stay home on Friday, officials said.
"We have no imminent threats to the court system here. Court will continue as normal," said Chris Palmer, Utah State Courts director of security, adding that the move is "just to reduce how many employees were having to come into downtown, having to leave downtown, in case there was a disruption in kind of traffic or flow or if, for some reason, we had to remove personnel from the building for something."
Palmer said the courts implemented similar procedures in 2020 when there was "a lot of civil unrest in downtown Salt Lake City." Multiple protests that year led to rioting and property damage. Ahead of this next round of protests, Palmer said court officials are coordinating with Salt Lake police and other law enforcement.
"There's always a concern when you have demonstrations and making sure people can still get to the courthouse, to make sure that the court remains open to people for filings, any kind of needs that the courthouse has," Palmer said. "That's our goal is to always make sure that we're ready to do that."
KSL has received reports of other buildings and businesses closing early Thursday in Salt Lake City ahead of planned protests. A city spokesperson confirmed employees at the Salt Lake City-County Building were told to leave by 5 p.m. as a precaution. The spokesperson added that all city services will be open during regular business hours.
Protests have cropped up across the country recently. They have intensified after President Donald Trump called up troops to suppress unrest in Los Angeles despite opposition from the governor and local officials, the Associated Press reported. More demonstrations are planned for this weekend to coincide with a military parade Saturday in Washington.
In Utah, in addition to anti-ICE protests, a slew of "No Kings" gatherings are planned for Saturday across the state. The demonstrations are billed as a "nationwide day of defiance" and resistance against "authoritarianism" and Trump's policies. Organizers have urged protesters to remain peaceful.
State leaders have said they will respect people's right to protest and free speech, but there will be zero tolerance for lawlessness.
"We ask everyone exercising these rights to use good judgment and remain peaceful," the Utah Department of Public Safety said in a statement Thursday. "Acts of violence, vandalism, or any other criminal behavior will not be tolerated and will be addressed immediately. We remain committed to safeguarding both the right to protest and the rule of law."
Earlier this week, Salt Lake police said they were "taking a proactive effort to make sure that we have enough resources to maintain the operational readiness" of the department, but they declined to offer many specifics about their plans to deal with protests.
"We are not going to allow for violence, property destruction or criminal activity to occur in our city," Salt Lake City Police spokesperson Brent Weisberg said. "We want to make sure that these demonstrations are safe, they are lawful, and that the participants can gather safely and lawfully to make sure that their opinions and their beliefs are heard."
