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BLM protesters detained pregnant woman, and nurses in SLO

July 26, 2020

Black Lives Matter protesters gathering at Mitchell Park on July 21

By CCN STAFF

The video shows a man and a woman pleading with Black Lives Matter protesters who had blocked Highway 101 in San Luis Obispo, to let them take a pregnant woman in labor to a hospital.

“She is going to give birth,” the woman tells protesters. “Get out of the road.”

This and other videos given to CalCoastNews provide a record of what occurred at the July 21 protest.

After congregating at Mitchell Park, approximately 300 protesters walked onto Highway 101 from both Osos Street and California Boulevard, blocking all lanes in both directions for nearly an hour. While on the highway, protesters ran after vehicles attempting to drive off the freeway, blocked vehicles, and yelled at some of the drivers, according to videos of the protest.

While protesters blocked the highway, several local nurses posted on Facebook that protesters were blocking traffic during shift changes at area hospitals. Chadwick Payne, a critical care nurse at Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria, asked the protesters to screen cars to make sure people “needed at the hospital to take care of super sick people,” could get to work, Payne wrote.

“I’m on my way to work, and they better get off (the highway) because my hospital is short staffed,” nurse Sandra Boc responded to Payne’s Facebook post.

A man in a white truck attempted to get around the protesters by driving on the shoulder of the highway, but his path was blocked. A woman in the passenger seat told protesters that a pregnant woman in the back seat was “going to give birth,” and told them to let the truck through.

Tianna Isis Arata, the organizer of the protest who moved from Portland to San Luis Obispo several years ago, and another protester, quarterback of the Cal Poly football team Jalen Hamler, discussed whether the woman’s water had broken and if she was really in labor, according to the video.

“It’s not worth it, she’s ignorant,” Arata said before marching away chanting, “Black lives matter.”

After the Highway 101 blockade, the protesters marched back into the city. Arata then directed others to stop vehicles, and, wielding an American flag on a pole, she chased several cars. A drone video shows Arata hitting one of the cars with the flag pole.

During the march, several drivers bumped protesters out of the way who were blocking their paths. In one incident, a protester threw a skateboard at the back window of a car that had hit a protester. The window shattered, with the pieces landing on a 4-year-old boy, who was unharmed.

Following the protest, San Luis Obispo police officers arrested Arata, 20, on charges of participation in a riot, unlawful assembly, conspiracy, unlawful imprisonment and resisting arrest. She was released shortly afterwards on her own recognizance.

During Arata’s arrest, 22-year-old Elias Bautista yelled at an officer before kicking him in the crotch, according to videos of Arata’s arrest. Officers booked Bautista in the San Luis Obispo County Jail on charges of attempting to deter an officer from doing his job, and for attempting to take a person from the lawful custody of a peace officer.

SLO Mayor Heidi Harmon, who has repeatedly asked the public to support Arata and Black Lives Matter, joined in the protest, but left to attend a city council meeting before the group entered the highway.

SLO Democratic Socialists of America, a “group of socialists, communists, and anarchists looking to upend capital and build working class power,” raised funds to pay Bautista’s $50,000 bail, according to their Facebook page. The local organization has ties with Harmon, including having her speak at meetings and promoting her reelection.

On social media, protesters are demanding prosecutors charge two motorists with assault with a deadly weapon, and that they drop all charges against Arata and Bautista.

During the four days that followed Arata and Bautista’s arrests, local Black Lives Matter protesters have peacefully marched in downtown SLO, staying on sidewalks, stopping at stop signs and not confronting motorists.

However, protesters tried to stop a CalCoastNews reporter from filming the demonstration, despite being in public. Likewise, protesters followed the reporter as he filmed; demanded he film in locations of their choosing; and ordered other protesters not to speak to him or even acknowledge him.

Following her arrest, Arata took down her Instagram page, and has not attended the past four protests.

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The black guy in the white t-shirt is named Cavin Stokes. From (trying) to talk to him, it’s clear he’s not the sharpest tool in the toolbox. He’s all about self-promotion.


Notice he wasn’t allowed to speak to the reporter?


68

These Marxists obviously could care less about people. It’s all about breaking the system down and building a Marxist utopia (more like a dystopia). Americans have to stand up to these mobs – that’s all there’s to it.


130

Based on this comment I see you know little of Marxism and are continuing 1950 red scare propoganda. As if capitolism and mass global poverty and an elite ruling class of about 1200 people is better than equality, non materialistic global ideology and peace? Capitolism is already destroying itself, earth, and the population that works it. How can you say or agree cheap extorted labor from corrupt countries is progress, and how we have no commerce here to exploit anymore due to capitolism because people got wise and unionized, so the business left as all the children, slaves and under educated gained rights?


-151

Sorry, Marxism-Socialism-Communism has never worked in a single country, not one. On the the other hand every country that has embraced Capitalism has increased their countries standard of living. But the true test is that none of the “complainers” in America will leave, and millions around the world want to get in here!


113

Apparently “capitolism” is also destroying the ability of people to properly spell words, e.g. “capitalism”.


47

Capitalism* boy I’ve been here before with spelling errors… based on capital… american education here<- I only speak 1 language and 1/2 of 2 others.


-74

Based on your comments you are not educated in the subject. Das Capital is a chore so I would suggest , “Marx for Beginners” by Rius.


No Marxists society has ever been successful, at least over the long haul. Not one. They eventually fail.


Just a fact.


At least you are being honest and showing your true ideological colors. I give you that.


41

If you read up on the subject you’ll see that unions, collective bargaining, is where Marx went wrong.


That has always bothered me about the mainstream Republican Party ideology. They are hostile, or at least not very supportive of one of the main reasons to make our mixed capitalism work and keep the proletarian lid from blowing off.Yes, at times unions go too far but somewhere in the middle is the “sweet spot” .


The tugging and pulling works pretty well, most of the time.


-34

Marx is also wrong on his labor theory of value, and the virtues of the dictatorship of the proletariat, which is the basis of his historical predictions and communist utopia. Folks who use the terms Marxist, Communist, Anarchist, either don’t know what they are talking about, or have redefined the terms.

Yeppers, Erasmus, mixed capitalism is the best unless oligarchic and special interests gain too much influence. Think that is where we are at.


-7

For 2017/2018, about 45 percent of US workers paid zero Federal income tax. The bottom 20 percent received more $$ back while the top one percent paid approximately 39 percent, Fed income tax. (Treasury Dept. stats).


Of course this does not take into account local sales taxes, property taxes, etc..


So, how much should middle class workers pay? For the sake of definition take people who earn between $55k -$300k annually? Just think about it. Pick a number.


The problem with the “soak the rich” mentality that so many on the left (i.e. modern Democratic Party) have is, as the late Margaret Thatcher once claimed, “eventually you run out of other people’s money.”


The question should be, how much of the money one earns should they be allowed to keep? Considering all taxes , State, Federal, sales, property, etc. Just a question for thought. Moreover, in theory, why should an estate be taxed at all after taxes were already paid on it over a lifetime? Why should anyone get even one dime of a persons inheritance, regardless of its size?


Speaking for myself, I have worked hard to provide for my family and after I leave this life my wish is for my family to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I don’t want it it going to the coffers of the progressives for redistribution in an attempt to bolster their socialist utopia, and thereby keep the votes coming and keep their jobs, their power. This is why they want to give away other people’s stuff.


Again, Communism has NEVER worked. Not even once. But because our public educational system never teaches that you have lots of younger voters and protesters ignorant of historical facts of economic theory. Conversely, capitalism has raised more people out of poverty than any other single economic or political system in human history. I guess that’s why everyone wants to migrate here, send their children to be educated here, invest here… hmm..can’t be the fabulous architecture or food, other places arguably can give us a run on those things. It must be something else. Yet we have people on the National and local level, the principle media outlets, all of whom espouse to one degree or another that we scrap the system, tear it down and start over again, because they know better. Or maybe, could it be something else? Could it just be politics, or worse yet, “identity politics?”All of this just to obtain power and control over others. I’m guessing it’s folks who will say or doing anything to defeat the big orange man. Worse yet, folks who will support a candidate who has been in politics nearly a half century, has been been demonstrably ineffective, a place-holder of sort; a man who will say or bend personal beliefs on a whim just to get elected.


So yes, we are at a crossroads in this country when it comes to economic theory, social justice, and a broader conversation regarding the characteristics and relationship between the people and the government. Less than 100 days to go.


13

We have socialism for the rich, so we are living in a Marxist dystopia.


-59

Rubbish!


22

Have you considered our income and inheritance tax structures, as well as farm subsidies? Let’s see for a single filer, the 2019 marginal tax rate for wage incomes above $40,125 ranges from 22 to 37%. Below $40,125 the marginal tax rate ranges from 10 to 12%. While the 2019 marginal tax rate on long term capital gains is 0% for up to $40,000, 15% for $40,000 to $469,050, with a top rate of 20%. Dividend taxation is similarly favored over wage income. Likewise, retirement plans are highly favored to business owners.

Moderate to high income wage earners, with no capital to develop tax sheltering offsets, are the ones who pay the tax bills in this society.

I would say higher taxation on a dollar earned by moderate to high wage earner in favor of the extremely wealthy and powerful, models a Marxian state.


-18

How can you say law enforcement is derelict when they mayors of these cities are ordering LEO’s to stand down? It is not their choice not to do the job they took an oath to do.


0

I wonder if Heidi Harmon ever thought to ask Tianna to wear a mask during the protest. Especially if she was going to be shouting. Because she doesn’t look to be social distancing in any of those pictures.


131

Why don’t these protesters work on voter registration efforts? Develop new political leaders that they support? Organize positively for change?


45

Who says they aren’t doing so?


-68

Good, count me in.


-48

Agreed!


But they are having too much fun acting like spoiled brats, tearing down.


32

It is stunning to watch the protestors at the end try to harass Friedman and shut him down. Very sad.


81

Arata was sent to SLO to attend the Grizzly Academy.According to Grizzly’s website it is a military based program for youth that are having emotional problems , floundering in school and social abilities that are lacking skills which allow them to be successful in educational and job place situations .Bascially boot camp or scared straight program .It appears Grizzly Academy failed to produce a positive outcome with Arata


122

If she hadn’t been there, she might be even worse. At least they tried to take this at-risk child and make her into a respectable productive citizen. Guess she missed the lessons on making good choices instead of bad, and living with the consequences. I thought burning the flag was a federal offense. I hope she rots in prison.


82

” I thought burning the flag was a federal offense.” You would be 100% wrong, it is a protected right, free speech.


Missed some lessons yourself.


-56

Facts hurt feelings here lol. Nationalism is scary, look at Germany in ww2. Or the usa, whom worked with Germany via IBM and Coca Cola, and how Nike uses slave labor of Muslims in China-NPR. Conspiracies, nope, just facts.


-26

Some might consider her courage and zeal for social change a positive outcome. Her tactics are frowned upon by most, but then I wonder how many frowned on MLK’s tactics in 1963?


-47

You can’t recall an elected official when she is up for re-election. Filing to run for City Council and Mayor of San Luis opened July 13 and closes August 7.


-11

The good people of America need to stop being so quiet and start standing up to this nonsense. Maybe not out in public or with strangers, but in quiet peaceful settings with family, friends and neighbors. The anarchists need to be stopped. Having peaceful protests is one thing, but when the protests turn against good citizens, we need to resist. Call them out for what they are, anarchists set on destruction. We are a good country with good citizens who can solve problems and work to improve lives. Anarchists will not solve any problems and will not improve anyones life.


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