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San Luis Obispo protesters smash glass on 4-year-old child

July 22, 2020

Tianna Arata standing on a highway barrier

By KAREN VELIE

Participants in a Black Lives Matter protest in San Luis Obispo on Tuesday turned violent smashing a car window onto a four-year-old child and damaging the hood of the car. Protesters repeatedly refused to let people walk or drive where they wanted to go, at times screaming profanities.

Near the end of the protest, San Luis Obispo police officers arrested 20-year-old Tianna Isis Arata, the organizer of the protest, and 22-year-old Elias Bautista.

After the City of San Luis Obispo learned Arata was planning a protest, Police Chief Deanna Cantrell contacted Arata who claimed the event at Mitchell Park would be peaceful, police said. As a result, the city did not have officers blocking entrances to the highway.

Shortly after 5 p.m., approximately 300 protesters marched through the downtown area. The protesters then walked onto Highway 101, blocking all lanes in both directions for nearly an hour. While on the freeway, protesters smashed the rear window of a car with a 4-year-old child in the back seat. Glass shattered on the boy.

Protesters marched back onto city streets, confronting drivers along the way. Protesters stopped and surrounded a vehicle at Monterey Street and California Boulevard. Protesters also chased several other vehicles as they marched.

The protesters then stopped to watch Arrata toss a partially burnt American flag on the ground and stomp on it.

Tianna Arata, in the center, stomping on a burnt flag

In a video Arrata posted on Instagram, Chief Cantrell texts Arata during the march to tell her about the broken window and that, “Trust goes both ways Tianna.”

“F**K Deanna,” Tianna responded.

Officers arrested Arata shortly after the protest concluded.

 

Officers booked Arata in the San Luis Obispo County Jail on charges of participation in a riot, unlawful assembly, conspiracy, unlawful imprisonment and resisting arrest. The decision to arrest Arata was made in coordination with the District Attorney’s Office, police said.

During the arrest of Arata, Bautista allegedly assaulted a police officer, who suffered minor injuries. 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.

The back seat of the car that the 4-year-old child was in

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BLM making lives better one city at a time.


-27

Now that we have vented our spleens and fears. What are the possible solutions to defuse and redirect the anger/energy in these young lives? Note: 2015 annual cost of incarceration in California $64,642. What are they expressing that we don’t hear? We need to be the adults in the room.


-63

They tried that with Tianna Arata, the leader. She went to Grizzly Charter which is a tax payer funded troubled kids boot camp school. Then ran track for Cuesta. She has been given every possible opportunity on the government dime and still chooses to throw it away.


92

Thanks, Uncle Jack


13

This article left out a lot of important details. Mainly, the car in mention drove into the protesters hitting people there with intent to hurt them. This is why there was a dent on the hood of the car. The smashed window was an attempt at self defense to try and get the car to pull away. The driver committed this crime with a child in the back seat. If you don’t believe me there are videos of this happening on Instagram and YouTube, if you don’t care enough to look for them then please reserve your judgement until you know the whole story. Besides that the protest was peaceful, noone was harmed and by legal definition riots are violent. Tianna was arrested for being in a riot but by definition it was not a riot. Also there is a video of her getting arrested and she says that she isn’t resisting and in the video there’s no evidence of her resisting. Regardless of whether you support the movement or not don’t feed into the lies of this article and do your research, find evidence online- it’s everywhere and whatever you decide to think after at least you know the truth.


-66

Well that’s one of looking at it. Smashing the rear window was self defense?


16

wow, i used to get coffee from her at CA fresh, was always a sweetheart, but i am sorry, if she used the f word in front of kids, led the followers onto 101, and stomped on the flag, she needs to do a year minimum in Parkinson’s plaza


108

There are black leaders in the community. I know some of them. Many were involved in the initial protests focused on awareness. None are involved with today’s white anarchy.


-26

Do these people know they are making more and more voters decide to vote for Trump?


131

Watching these protesters is like watching a two-year old child throw a temper tantrum.


114

When I see these protesters I feel like I am watching a preschool group throwing a group temper tantrum. If they had any brains amongst them they would find productive outlets to make real and positive changes to America.


95

This is to the group of protestors and Heidi Harmon. BLM is a bunch of terrorists. They could care less. Also it is not about Mr. Floyd. That has been over for some time now. They used that as an excuse. I am ashamed that Heidi Harmon is falling for this. She is alot like the girls who started this protest. They just want in the newspaper and guess what they got it. For Heidi Harmon to praise these girls is just no way for a mayor to act.


64

I felt sick for those people trying to have a simple outdoor dinner when the ever untalented girl comes storming through screaming “f**k your comfort” over and over. What an embarrassment to our city and shame on the leaders for allowing it to stream through that particular setting. Go protest at the park….jump around in circles grab dinner and call it a night.


95

Actually I believe she said f**k the police. Probs because the clearly documented instances of police brutality in America and SLO police officials denying the fact that racism exists in SLO…. Wow imagine thinking that the most inconvenient thing about this was an interruption to your outdoor dinner and not police brutality and concern for your life and safety because of your skin color. Talk about privilege.


-108

I think privilege is being able to block the one freeway full time commuters have to get to their job and pick up their kids from daycare. The commuters do not have the privilege to take time off to protest, because living here costs so much. Ambulances need to be able to transport sick and dying INNOCENT people to treatment.


I wonder how safe the woman and 4 year old felt in their cars from these “peaceful protesters”?


Interestingly, I don’t know of a single person who can or will defend the cop who murdered George Floyd. He literally sat on that poor man as he cried for his mother until he died.


You want to scream F*$k the police? Go ahead. You want to hold up signs, sing songs. Cool. Do NOT block traffic. Do NOT vandalize. Do NOT damage personal property. Do NOT EVER terrorize innocent citizens and LITTLE CHILDREN for your cause. Talk about privilege. They are lucky that woman didn’t have a gun in her car. It is privilege to think you can just accost private citizens without consequence.


As a side note, I hear the SLO mayor bailed this Arata person out. Is this true?


36

slostudent – go back to the obscene video about 20 in and you WILL hear F**k your “Comfort,” So do you believe that TWO WRONGS “MAKE” A RIGHT? What the protesters are doing is WRONG, what the Police Officers (the ones that have harassed, abused, murdered) did to Blacks is outrageously WRONG! But what has happened doesn’t give them the right to disrupt, abuse other people’s rights! The people sitting having a meal didn’t commit the atrocities that have happened to Blacks. I believe in the changes that need to happen, but I don’t believe in the obnoxious, uncivil and uncalled for way the Leader of this protest went about trying to get a message out. So, if people are upset with violence and Black gang activity in a particular city then they should consider ALL BLACKs are BAD??? I THINK NOT!! So why can the protesters cast such a large net over ALL POLICE and ALL other people who don’t get out and march with them? Does she think she’s going to win over others to participate in a a march such as this?


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