In the aftermath of the deadly “No Kings” shooting in Salt Lake City, almost no details have emerged about the demonstration’s organizers — and officials in City Hall can’t confirm that the person who filled out the permit for the event used a real name on the application.

This lack of vetting for protest organizers appears to be common across the Intermountain West. Two other cities — Boise and Las Vegas — also rely on organizers’ honesty in their permitting processes to ensure they don’t infringe upon their residents’ First Amendment right to protest.

Still, the absence of clear information about who was behind the June 14 protest that led to the fatal shooting of 39-year-old Arthur “Afa” Folasa Ah Loo has left many questions unanswered.

Police say the bullet that killed Ah Loo was intended for an armed man, 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa, and was fired by a member of the protest’s volunteer safety team. Gamboa was wounded in the shooting and was later released after police determined he did not fire his own weapon.

It still is not known publicly, however, whom the shooter was, what training the person had, and who was behind the safety team’s planning.

What is known is this: The event was hosted by Utah 50501. The name on the permit application was Michael Andaman. There is almost no online footprint for Andaman. The company he listed on the application was registered in Wyoming, a safe haven for corporate secrecy.

While a spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union has said a lack of transparency around protest organizers undermines public confidence in demonstrations, the civil rights organization’s legal position on whether planners should be required to disclose their identities is clear.

“Any actions that limit protests, like requiring the disclosure of protest organizer identities, run afoul of the First Amendment,” said Jason M. Groth, legal director for the organization’s Utah chapter. “If the right to protest means anything, it’s that the government doesn’t have to approve of your participation.”

Permitting in SLC

Permits for events and demonstrations in Salt Lake City are encouraged, but are not required, city permit manager Ryen Schlegel said. The permit process, he added, helps ensure events held on public property are safe for attendees and for those not attending, such as downtown residents and drivers.

“We do just go in good faith on the person applying, and then we’ll just work on the actual activity itself,” Schlegel said. “We’re not going into the background of these people necessarily. We’re going into what they want to do for free speech and making sure that activity is safe for everybody.”

The organizer for the June 14 “No Kings” protest did submit a permit with contact information and a map of the march route, according to a copy of the permit application The Salt Lake Tribune received through an open records request. Schlegel said he spoke with the organizer, a man, through the contact number listed on the permit request, but that contact information was redacted on The Tribune’s copy of the application.

Schlegel said he found the “No Kings” organizer to be “very communicative.” Oftentimes, organizers won’t touch base with the permitting department until a few days before their event, Schlegel added.

“We don’t even really look at the address and stuff unless they’re not communicating, and we really need to get a hold of them, or there’s some issue, something like that,” Schlegel said. “So the fact that they were communicating by phone and email gave us no real need to look into like [the] address. I mean, it’s really just there for additional info if we need it.”

What other cities say

Boise and Las Vegas don’t require permits for most protests due to First Amendment concerns.

In the city of Las Vegas (which does not include the Clark County-managed Las Vegas Strip), if protest organizers do fill out a special events permit application, it asks basic questions — such as an organizer’s name and business information — so officials can start coordinating with event planners through meetings, phone calls and emails, spokesperson Jace Radke said in an email.

Each event is handled on a case-by-case basis, Radke added, but authorities may be present at an event or protest if there are public safety or vandalism concerns.

In Boise, the Idaho city does not have an event permit, but its Police Department uses “demonstration liaison officers” to reach out to organizers when they find out about a planned protest through social media or other sources, police Lt. Matt Sly said.

These officers also circulate through the crowd during protests and may contact counterprotesters to ensure tensions are de-escalated safely, Sgt. Matt Konvalinka added.

Boise police say they always plan for attendees to have firearms — similar to how Salt Lake City police prepare for large events.

“We just try and get as much information as we can so everything runs smoothly, and we can help the organizer accomplish their goal,” Konvalinka added, “with a minimal amount of help from us to accomplish their goal and make sure everybody’s safe.”

Schlegel said his Salt Lake City office is investigating if something needs to change with its permitting process, but in an examination of 15 cities across the country, his office found none required identification for organizers in protest permits.

“We’re going to make sure we don’t add unnecessary obstruction to that,” Schlegel said of the First Amendment, “but we always absolutely look, and we’ll make changes when appropriate, based on experiences we’ve had.”