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Peaceful BLM protest in SLO follows arrest of two protesters

July 23, 2020

SLO County sheriff deputies in riot gear protecting northbound Highway 101 ramps.

Supporters of Black Lives Matter protested peacefully and lawfully on Wednesday afternoon following a disruptive protest that led to the arrest of two protesters on Tuesday.

In sharp contrast to earlier protests, on Wednesday, approximately 300 protesters marched along the sidewalk, stopped at stop signs, and did not attempt to stop the movements of others. Even so, dozens of officers from multiple law enforcement agencies gathered throughout the area, primarily protecting highway onramps and offramps.

Photo by Richard Bastian

San Luis Obispo paid more than $250,000, primarily in police overtime, for the five protests that occurred from May 31 through June 5, according to a records request.

CHP officers protecting a Santa Rosa Street Highway 101 ramp. Photo by Richard Bastian

The BLM group is planning another protest for Thursday at 4 p.m. at the courthouse. The group has regularly attempted to disrupt Cruise Night, because of the number of white men that participate in the event, according to several protesters.

At the end of Tuesday’s protest, officers arrested BLM organizer Tianna Arata, 20, on charges of participation in a riot, unlawful assembly, conspiracy, unlawful imprisonment and resisting arrest. She was released about 1 a.m. on her own recognizance.

Tianna Arata with Mayor Heidi Harmon and two others

During Arata’s arrest, 22-year-old Elias Bautista yelled at an officer before kicking him in the crotch. 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.

DSA SLO, 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 is associated with SLO Mayor Heidi Harmon.

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…“group of socialists, communists, and anarchists looking to upend capital and build working class power,”…the local organization is associated with SLO Mayor Heidi Harmon.


And no doubt she’ll continue to be voted in election and election in this crazy town.


63

slomark’s quote is from, DSA San Luis Obispo’s twitter account introduction. DSA is an abbreviation of Democratic Socialists of America.

Why enter into a political thought box, such as, communism, socialism, anarchism, rather than maintain a politically independent mind? Why jump to a micro group on the left or right?


-15

“Why jump to a micro group…”

Likely because the socialist and anarchist movements catch up and appeal to a wide swath of personality-disordered thinkers and misfits for whom concepts like societal order and progress are TARGETS to be messed with, not sought as goals.


11

“disrupt Cruise Night, because of the number of white men that participate in the event” – Sounds a bit hypocritical to me.


84

Or there are people on Cruise Night to spread the “message” to.


-49

This article is unsettling on several levels… DSA sounds like a great bunch. But really, disrupt cruise night because there’s too many white people? Sounds like Europe in the late 30s.


60

300 protesters marched along the sidewalk, stopped at stop signs, and did not attempt to stop the movements of others. Even so, dozens of officers from multiple law enforcement agencies gathered throughout the area


I read the above bit as a little “cart before the horse” – maybe it’s just me.


-36

It is fairly obvious that the protestors will win a war of attrition against the city, quickly, by continuing to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to assemble.


The city will have to choose to either continue to respond as they are or to de-escalate and listen.


Run the numbers for yourselves. $250k for 6 days of protesting. Ouch.


You may not like it, but the protesters will have the upper hand as long as they can sustain their movement. Simple economics says so.


-88

Deescalate or it will grow in size and intensity.


-21

Or perhaps the voters will replace the caving, kneeling, brainless council and mayor with persons of courage, judgment and conviction who will, yes, listen thoughtfully and then ignore the laughingly-called “message” of a paltry three hundred snowflake children/morons and their faded adult hangers-on.


Hey, I was ordered to read a bit of Marx in Cal State also, but it didn’t derange my political views. .


21

Lame, those 300 snowflakes can bankrupt a city if they persist. You could change out all the city players you want, but it would not change a thing.


The point? Armor clad response to “snowflakes” costs dough. Econ 101.


You should have also learned in college how in a pluralistic republic the means by which “minorities” (factions) can wield power. Effectively using the rights afforded them in the constitution like protesting can result in change. The majority yields to pressure. Economic pressure in this case.


-8

“During Arata’s arrest, 22-year-old Elias Bautista yelled at an officer before kicking him in the crotch.”


You conveniently missed reporting on the part where the officer body slammed Bautista before he got nut checked. There is plenty of video out there. I’m sure you viewed it. Yet you’d rather report with a bias rather than just reporting the facts. Little did your mother know when she named you Karen…


Was kicking the officer stupid and illegal? Yes. Is an officer body slamming a civilian for fun also stupid and illegal? Yes. Would the officer have gotten nut checked had he not escalated tensions by assaulting a civilian? Absolutely not. You reap what you sow. And no one holds the officer accountable, because they can do whatever they darn well please with no fear of repercussion. Clearly many of our officers have no idea what deescalation is and for that reason, SLOPD and SLO Sheriff need to be cleaned out.


-147

OK so where is a video link?


41

Welcome back to our echo chamber.


-2

Of course Wednesday’s protest was peaceful, they got the memo, CHP and the Sheriff’s Department finally stepped in and said enough is enough!!!

The picture in your article showing Queen Heidi with the protesters tells the real story:(

SLO PD can not or are not allowed to Police their community, the leadership of Cantrell and or Heidi has pushed that Department into a morass. Either their moral is so bad they’re no longer a functioning department or that the department has only hired like minded officers that wish they were off duty(except for the loss of massive overtime) so they could march with the protesters!!!

It looks to me that Heidi envisions higher office and wants to be AOC, the Mayor of Portland, Seattle and Minneapolis all rolled into one!!!

Bravo to the CHP and Sheriff’s Department for walking softly while carrying a big stick:)


75

Tune into the Andy Caldwell Show on K-News 98.5 FM to hear me talk about the protests.


37

When?


5

Harmon must go.


Look how much she is costing the taxpayers of this City.


116

Say what you will about Heidi, but it is the police are blowing through the city and county’s money, not the mayor. Police have only served to escalate the situation. No one asked for them to be there. Let alone in full riot gear. Let alone on overtime. They’re eating this overtime up–padding their heavy six-figure salaries. Wasting tens of thousands of dollars in fuel with arial support and I have to listen to that stupid plane overhead all day. Out with Deanna, Ian, and Dow.


-134

And just what do you think would have happened if the Police weren’t there? Arson, looting, assaults, etc. Seems to me the Police saved us a ton of money and lives. Take a peek at Portland!


88

Bautista and others were interfering withe police making the arrest; this is by itself a crime. The cop was acting correctly when he pushed Bautista out of the way. Bautista committed assault when he kicked the cop, Bautista should cool his heels in jail for a while.


Many young people have the mistaken impression that they have a right to oppose lawful police actions. Many even believe that a fight with police officers should be a “fair” fight. Far from reality! The police are authorized to use reasonable force to enforce the law, which includes pushing someone out of the way who is interfering. Now Mr. Bautista and Ms. Arata have an excellent opportunity to learn about the criminal justice system.


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