The Utah contingent simply joined the throngs of Tibetans and other protestors lining the streets of San Francisco and repeatedly engaging in tense verbal battles with Chinese Americans, making it impossible for the torch carriers to run the planned route.
Many protesters and Chinese supporters waited in vain to see the torch, scheduled to begin its run at 2 p.m. MDT. Frustrated Tibetans tried to find out the route, relying on text messages to keep them informed of the torch's whereabouts. Several false leads had scores of Tibetans chasing up empty streets. The torch closing ceremony had to be abandoned.
Sam Chagzoetsang wasn't unhappy with the day's outcome.
"It was a great success. We got our point across and I didn't even have to get arrested, said Chagzoetsang, a University of Utah student. "It's actually gratifying because it means we are winning. We have the upper hand. The Chinese couldn't do the relay the way they wanted it. They could barely keep it on U.S. soil."
The best thing, he said, was that they were able to do it without violence. It showed they are true to their principles.
Thirty-four of Utah's 150 Tibetans, ranging in age from 7 to the late 50s, traveled by van from Salt Lake City to participate in the protest. They spent Tuesday attending rallies and vigils in downtown San Francisco, as speaker after speaker condemned the Chinese government's treatment of Tibetans.
They painted their faces with the words, "Free Tibet," and used a megaphone to lead chants such as "Stop the killing . . . In Tibet" or "United Nation . . . We want justice." They sang the Tibetan national anthem and cheered for Richard Gere and Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who also were in attendance. Even the young ones conversed in Tibetan, a language the Utahns continue to speak in their homes.
"We just want to let the whole world know something bad is going on in Tibet," said 44-year-ld Lobsang Gendun, a machinist at O.C. Tanner Company in Salt Lake City. Gendun was raised among the exiled Tibetans living in northern India. "We do not want to do violence. We just hope that because of the demonstrations and protest that the Chinese government will talk to the Dalai Lama.".
Tensen Gyaltsen, a University of Utah political science student, feels it is her duty to speak out, even though she has never lived in Tibet.
"Tibtan people have taken such risks. They've been shot at, arrested and killed," she said. "We live in a free society. It's a huge inspiration to me."
Many other groups and individuals held banners and posters supporting the Tibetan cause, including Chris Berland of Santa Rosa, Calif., who held a placard that read: "Another Mormon for a Free Tibet."
"It's important for Mormons to be thinking about these [political] questions," Berland said. "Brigham Young was a progressive. Mormons forget that."
