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March 9, 2025
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 9, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) — Brian Redd, Salt Lake City’s new police chief, inspired a sense of hope among the city’s homeless advocates last Tuesday night, and did so through the simplest of human gestures; he merely shook their hands.
It was his first official act as chief, happening just moments after being sworn into office before the Salt Lake City Council.
Redd had no sooner finished raising his right hand, when he extended it to Travis McBride, a longtime advocate for the unsheltered community.
McBride was there to support other advocates in delivering a message to the then soon-to-be-chief and council members, imploring them to stop the criminalization of homelessness, and to put an end to what they believe is a politically motivated and increasingly aggressive police crackdown on SLC’s unsheltered population.
“When he came straight toward me and extended his hand, I was surprised,” McBride said. “It took me aback. Then he looked me in the eye and said things were going to change, that we all needed to get together, with him, and we would all get this taken care of.”
Redd’s seeming attentiveness didn’t end there, though. He stopped and shook the hands of all of the activists, listening to what they had to say, and offering words of encouragement.
“We want to enforce the law in a compassionate, empathetic way, establish a precedent,” Redd said. “We need to all work together. It’s complicated, right?”
For most, it was a new experience.
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