DROP THE CHARGES
SUPPORT PROTESTORS
FIGHT POLITICAL REPRESSION


Action items for ending political repression in Utah and beyond


CAMPAIGN DEMANDS

Drop all charges on all protestors from Inland Port May 2019 to now.Repeal all laws that infringe on the rights of protestors.Remove all legal conflict of interest: Sim Gill cannot choose the judge or prosecutor on our cases.Repeal the use of gang enhancement.Sim Gill must resign. As demonstrated in the previous points, Sim Gill has a history of abusing his power and grossly neglecting his responsibility of serving justice to the people thereby exposing his own corruption and incompetence. We demand that Sim Gill resign immediately


WHO TO CONTACT

CLICK HERE FOR information and sample scripts

DemandsWho to ContactContact Info
Drop all charges on protestors from Inland Port May 2019 to now; Remove all conflicts of interest for protestor cases related to the DA's officeSim Gill (District Attorney)[email protected] | (385) 468-7600 (Press 2 and ask for Sim Gill)
Repeal laws that infringe on the rights of protestors; Demand Sim Gill's resignationYour state Representative, Senator, and City Council membersFind all of your elected representatives here (https://ballotpedia.org/Who_represents_me)
Repeal the gang enhancement provision from Utah code.Your state Representative and SenatorFind your state representative here: https://le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp

TAKE ACTION

The most important thing you can do to fight political repression and support movement work is to get involved with your community. Caring for ourselves and each other is an act of resistance, and there are many, many ways to do this that aren't just hitting the streets. We will continue to update this section with readings and resources for our community.

SAMPLE SCRIPTS FOR CONTACTING ELECTED OFFICIALS

ZINES AND OTHER READINGS - COMING SOON

Local organizations to follow and support


OrganizationFacebookInstagram
Justice for BernardoJustice for Bernardo@justiceforbernardonow
Rose Park Brown BeretsRose Park Brown Berets@rosepark_brownberets
Local PropagandistsN/A@localpropagandists
Just Media UtahJust Media Utah@justmediautah
Decarcerate UtahDecarcerate Utah@decarcerateutah
Justice for CodyJustice for Cody@justiceforcodybelgard
Party for Socialism and Liberation - Salt LakePSL Salt Lake - Party for Socialism and Liberation@pslsaltlake

UPCOMING EVENTS


Weekly Mural Clean-Up & Mutual Aid Request
Sundays at 8:00PM at the murals on 300 W between 800 S and 900 S
Hosted by Justice For Bernardo

Please bring:
Flowers, candles, balloons and other decorations to keep our community’s murals beautiful and stand in solidarity with the families of the many victims of police brutality.Non-perishable food, masks, cleaning wipes, medical supplies, water etc. to our event so SLC COVID-19 Mutual Aid can collect it to donate to our community.Empty drinking containers (milk jugs, water bottles, etc) We are collecting containers to disinfect and then fill with water to provide to unsheltered folks.


National BLM Day of Action: SLC March for Black August
Friday 8/28 at 6:00PM | 300 S 800 W
Co-hosted with Black Lives Matter SLC and PSL Salt Lake

March in solidarity with the BLM march on Washington! Demand justice for those killed by the state! Learn about and honor the radical tradition of Black August! Fight for collective liberation against state repression, from SLC to DC!


International Overdose Awareness Day Virtual Naloxone Training
Monday 8/31 at 11:00AM | Zoom
Hosted by Utah Naloxone

International Overdose Awareness Day is coming up August 31, 2020 #IOAD2020. Utah Naloxone is hosting a virtual naloxone training for individuals in the community to learn how and when to use a naloxone rescue kit to save someone around them experiencing an opioid overdose (pain pills, heroin, fentanyl).
Pre-register for the training and please join us to learn. We’ll send you an injectable naloxone kit and Overdose Awareness T-shirt after it’s completed. We are all good enough to save a life. We value all of you!

ACTION ITEMS AND SAMPLE SCRIPTS

TIPS FOR CONTACTING ELECTED OFFICIALS

Keep it short and specific.You don't need to answer questions. You are contacting them to make a comment. If you want to have a conversation, that's fine! But don't feel like you need to answer anyone's questions. The DA's office in particular has been trying to get callers to answer questions about specific charges and protestors in an attempt to trick people into implicating themselves or others.Make it personal if you can. The scripts below are a helpful starting point and can be really useful for folks with phone anxiety, but you can add to them or change them however you need. Elected officials respond much better to personal outreach than they do to receiving the same message over and over again.Only contact people who represent you.Know your different representatives. For example, if you live at 35 E 500 S, here are some of your elected officials.FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
1. U.S. Senate: Senator Mitt Romney, Senator Mike Lee
2. U.S. House of Representatives: Representative Chris Stewart
STATE GOVERNMENT
1. Utah House of Representatives: Representative Angela Romero
2. Utah Senate: Senator Derek Kitchen
COUNTY GOVERNMENT
1. Salt Lake County Mayor: Mayor Jenny Wilson
2. Salt Lake County District Attorney: DA Sim Gill
3. Salt Lake County Council (District 1): Councilor Arlyn Bradshaw
4. Salt Lake County Council (At-Large A): Councilor Shireen Ghorbani
5. Salt Lake County Council (At-Large B): Councilor Richard Snelgrove
6. Salt Lake County Council (At-Large C): Councilor Jim Bradley
CITY GOVERNMENT
1. Salt Lake City Mayor: Mayor Erin Mendenhall
2. Salt Lake City Council (District 4): Councilwoman Ana Valdemoros

DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE MASTER SCRIPT

PHONE OR EMAIL: "Hi, my name is [first name] and I am a resident of Salt Lake County. I am calling to make two specific comments. One, I am [calling or writing] to insist that the DA's office do whatever is needed to ensure all charges are dropped against protestors. If your office doesn't have the power to do it, figure out who does and use your influence to get them to drop the charges -- all charges, agains all protestors. Two, I would like to express my disgust with how DA Gill has used his public office to pursue a personal agenda against protestors demonstrating outside "his" building. There is a clear conflict of interest here and the case has already been tainted by his involvement, and he should be ashamed of using a public office to pursue his personal agenda. I would like him to apologize to the taxpayers of Salt Lake County and I want him to resign. Thanks for your time."

SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL MASTER SCRIPT

PHONE OR EMAIL: "Hi, my name is [first name] and I am your constituent in City Council District [X]. I am [calling or writing] because I am very concerned about the way the District Attorney's Office has targeted and prosecuted protestors in Salt Lake City. I would like the City Council to find a way to divest from the DA's Office and stop sending city cases to Sim Gill, since he is clearly not able to do his job sensibly or fairly. I would also like the City Council to put pressure on the Police Chief to ensure all officers are abiding by the law, including wearing nameplates during protests. As your constituent, it is very important to me that you support protestors and the right to free speech and assembly that we have in this country. Thanks for your time."

UTAH LEGISLATURE MASTER SCRIPT

PHONE OR EMAIL: "Hi, my name is [first name] and I am your constituent in [Utah House District X or Utah Senate District X]. I am [calling or writing] to ask you to please use your power as an elected official to support the right to protest, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly. Many states are currently passing laws to limit the rights of protestors, and I do not want to see the same thing happen in Utah. Please do not support any proposed legislation that targets protestors, and please work with your colleagues to address the legislative problems that are giving the DA space to overcharge and overcriminalize our communities. Specifically, the gang enhancement needs to be repealed this session. It is outdated and ineffective. As your constituent, it is very important to me that you support protestors and the right to free speech and assembly that we have in this country. Thanks for your time."

SPECIFIC DEMAND: Drop all charges on protestors from Inland Port May 2019 to now

PHONE OR EMAIL: "Hi, my name is [first name] and I am a resident of Salt Lake County. I am calling to urge the District Attorney to do everything in his power to see that charges are dropped on all protestors, including those from demonstrations related to the Inland Port, Take Shelter, Black Lives Matter, and Justice for Bernardo. If the DA has authority to drop these charges, he needs to do so. If he does not, he needs to use his influence to persuade whoever does have the power to drop the charges. Thanks for your time."

SPECIFIC DEMAND: Remove all conflicts of interest for protestor cases related to the DA's office

PHONE OR EMAIL: "Hi, my name is [first name] and I am a resident of Salt Lake County. I am calling to comment on the inappropriate involvement of the DA in protest cases related to his building. The District Attorney has clearly shown that he considers his office to be a way to enact personal vengeance, and that is not okay for anyone, especially an elected official. The DA needs to continue to remove all conflicts of interest from the case and apologize to the taxpayers of this county for using the power of his office for his personal agenda. Thanks for your time."

SPECIFIC DEMAND: Sim Gill must resign

PHONE OR EMAIL: "Hi, my name is [first name] and I am one of your constituents in [insert HD/SD/city council district]. I am writing to ask for you to publicly condemn the behavior of Sim Gill, and to support his resignation from office. DA Gill's behavior with protestors over the last few months has clearly shown that he has no issue using the power of his office to punish political speech, and will pursue his own agenda without consideration of justice or fairness. As your constitutent, I would appreciate if you made a statement condemning DA Gill's behavior and the unnecessarily punitive charges against protestors. Thank you, [sign with your name and address]

SPECIFIC DEMAND: Repeal laws that infringe on the rights of protestors. More information to come on specific laws to target.

DemandsWho to ContactContact Info
Drop all charges on protestors from Inland Port May 2019 to now; Remove all conflicts of interest for protestor cases related to the DA's officeSim Gill (District Attorney)[email protected] | (385) 468-7600 (Press 2 and ask for Sim Gill)
Repeal laws that infringe on the rights of protestors; Demand Sim Gill's resignationYour state Representative, Senator, and City Council membersFind all of your elected representatives [here] (https://ballotpedia.org/Whorepresentsme)
Repeal the gang enhancement provision from Utah code.Your state Representative and SenatorFind your state representative here: https://le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp