- University of Utah safety personnel expect a peaceful No Kings protest on Saturday.
- Protests are organized by Salt Lake Indivisible, a group opposing the Trump administration.
- University police are preparing for the possibility of 5,000 attendees, emphasizing peaceful assembly and coordination.
SALT LAKE CITY — On the heels of Thursday evening's protest against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown that drew around 1,000 participants, two more demonstrations are set to take place Saturday in Salt Lake City.
Dubbed the No Kings protests, demonstrations are set to take place all across the country.
Protests in Utah are scheduled for Logan, Ogden, Park City, Heber City, Provo, Moab, Boulder, Price, Ephraim, Bluff, Cedar City, St. George and Kanab, according to the No Kings website.
The two protests in Salt Lake City will be held at Pioneer Park and on the University of Utah campus.
Scott Carver, deputy chief safety officer with the U.'s Department of Public Safety, said university police have been in contact with Salt Lake Indivisible, a group formed in opposition to Trump and organizing Salt Lake City's No Kings protests.
While not confirmed, Carver said Indivisible has communicated that crowds could reach around 5,000 people at Saturday morning's protest, set to kick off at 10 a.m. at the J. Willard Marriott Library Plaza on campus.
Despite the potential for large crowds, Carver said the university has worked with Indivisible in the past and isn't expecting any problems.
"We'll have some officers present, but we're not, you know, going into great concern about it. We're prepared, but we anticipate a peaceful day," Carver said. "What we've noticed in the past with rallies around campus is the ones that have been peaceful have conveyed their message in a much better way that was heard, I think, by the groups that they were addressing. Because they're not interrupted by the violence and disruption, which then, that becomes the message."
Carver said he thinks the protest will be concentrated around the library and that the group won't take to the streets for a march. He added that the protest at the U. won't have law enforcement involvement from any agencies other than the University of Utah.
Saturday will be a busy day for Salt Lake City, with the protest at the U. in the morning, the Red Bull Soapbox Derby with races beginning at the state Capitol at noon and another No Kings protest set for 6 p.m. in Pioneer Park.
"We do support First Amendment rights of everybody and the right to peacefully assemble and we welcome that on our campus," Carver said. "The university is a public space and we have hosted many demonstrations before and are happy to do that. We do ask that the organizers coordinate with us, which they have been doing recently. So, we're very pleased with that."
The Salt Lake City Police Department described Thursday's protest as "mostly peaceful," though spokesman Brent Weisberg reported "a few small skirmishes" in Washington Square Park. A parked Tesla on 300 East between 100 and 200 South received unspecified damage while the demonstrators marched through Salt Lake City, according to Weisberg, and that incident remains under investigation.
Additionally, one man was arrested and accused of punching two people in the face after grabbing an American flag out of someone's hands and stomping on it. Weisberg said additional arrests are possible. He noted there were several reported assaults throughout the night.
Carver said the hope for Saturday is for a "completely peaceful" protest.
"Again, with this group, I think we'll see that," Carver said.
