Sunday protests are fairly subdued
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A relatively quiet protest targeted The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during LDS General Conference on Sunday as officers made sure that street preachers and journalists kept moving when they were in the protest zone on sidewalks along North Temple, between Temple Square and the Conference Center.
With the new law in place, no bullhorns blared. A few strong-voiced street preachers bellowed, someone played a violin, and just outside the protest zone a boom box played religious-type music. A few demonstrators carried signs with slogans like "Fear God Keep His Commandments." Some signs denounced the LDS Church, homosexual marriage or both.
Many conferencegoers ignored the protesters.
About 50 police officers were on hand, which Salt Lake Police Department spokesman detective Dwayne Baird said is not uncommon given the size of the gathering. Each session of conference drew at least 20,000 attendees.
Baird characterized the protest as "very peaceful." He said there were no citations, no arrests. Not even any skirmish.
"They just had to be reminded. They didn't have to be ordered back" to the area where protest was allowed if they wandered out of it, he said.
When the afternoon session began, fewer demonstrators and officers were present. Just outside the protest zone a piper in a kilt played "Come, Come Ye Saints." Standing beside one protester was a counter-protester with a sign that read "Bigotry" with an arrow pointing toward the other man.
