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Hundreds gather to march in SLC rally against police brutality

Posted at 9:24 PM, Feb 29, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-29 23:25:17-05

SALT LAKE CITY -- A rally against police brutality in downtown Salt Lake closed several roads after spilling into the street, Monday evening.

The event was loosely organized on Facebook by a group called Utah Against Police Brutality.

"There's something systemic and wrong with how Salt Lake City and Utah do policing," said Gregory Lucero, one of the founders of the group.

Lucero was one of several speakers calling for a stronger citizen review of police. He and others at the rally, feel the current review board is filled with insiders who are often closely tied to police.

Not everyone at the rally is calling for change. Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, was there simply to observe and listen to concerns. He asked for people to be patient.

"Give the officers time. When two officers that fire that tells you something was happening.  It wasn't just one officer that made a judgement call," Ray said.

After the primary rally ended, much of the group marched to the Public Safety building. The rally continued back to where it started, spilling into the street at the intersection of 100 South and State Street.

Police blocked the roads in all four directions about a block back from the crowd. The area was closed to traffic for about an hour before the crowd dispersed on its own.