Violent rioters who defaced and destroyed property in Salt Lake City, Utah during the Black Lives Matter protests could face up to life in prison, according to city officials.
Prosecutors charged multiple protesters with “gang enhancement” this week, accusing them of splashing paint on a road and smashing the windows of the district attorney’s building.
These are “offenses committed in concert with two or more person or in relation to a criminal street gang,” according to Salt Lake City District Attorney Sim Gill, which means the protesters could receive a life sentence.
This enhanced charge is justified because the protesters actively worked together to cause thousands of dollars in damage, prosecutors said. But even Gill admitted that the rioters are unlikely to serve prison time since criminal cases often end with a plea to lesser counts.
Still, rioters should have to face the consequences of their actions, he said.
One of the protesters who was charged this week called the threat of jail time “retaliatory.”
It’s really frustrating and scary … I just feel so much concern for what this means for the right to protest in general,” said Madalena McNeil, 28, who was charged with felonies of criminal mischief and rioting.
Records show McNeil bought red paint from Home Depot prior to a July 9 protest in order to deface private property. She also shoved a police officer at the protest.
Dill, however, said the charges have nothing to do with McNeil’s right to protest.
“This is not about protest, this is about people who are engaging in criminal conduct,” Gill said.
McNeil spent Tuesday night in jail after being arrested, according to CBS News, but continued to deny any wrongdoing. She disputed the officer’s allegation that she forcibly shoved him, instead claiming that she “shifted” her “weight in front of a cop.”
Proud to confirm that I have been charged with felony shifting my weight in front of a cop. Thank you Sim Gill for your incredible work keeping our community safe from people who can move
— mutual aid mads (@utahmads) August 5, 2020
But Gill made it clear that he is not messing around.
“We have to have some agreement of what constitutes protected First Amendment speech,” Gill said. “When you cross that threshold, should you be held accountable or not?”
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
