On July 21, 2020, California activist and organizer Tianna Arata was arrested by San Luis Obispo Police Officers near Mitchell Park at 8 p.m. At the time of the arrest, Arata and others were loading up their car after they had completed a protest that she had helped organize.
The protest in question drew criticism from the San Luis Obispo Highway Patrol because they claimed it disrupted traffic on U.S. Highway 101 and the window of a car along the protest route was damaged. However, Arata is not a suspect in the damage that occurred to that vehicle.
“During demonstrations, the California Highway Patrol’s (CHP) role is to safeguard lives, protect state property, prevent demonstrators from getting onto the freeways, and assist allied agencies when asked,” San Luis Obispo CHP writes.
“Freeways are simply not safe or suitable for protest activity. It is not only illegal for pedestrians to get onto the freeway, it is especially dangerous and puts protestors, motorists, onlookers, and first responders at great risk of serious injury or death,” local law enforcement adds.
Despite these concerns, attendees and California residents say that they worked with law enforcement and dispersed from the highway when asked to do so. California resident Stephanie Stackhouse added that “the press release from the SLO PD on events leading up to the arrest omits important facts to create a false narrative depicting the protesters as promoting violence.”
Adding on, Stackhouse and others feel that law enforcement is attempting to send a message to anyone that may try to plan a protest in the future. If Arata is charged and convicted, it could set a precedent that organizers are responsible for whatever may take place at a protest. “It seems like it’s primarily a political message,” Arata’s attorney Jeff Stein said.
“As in, if you do this activity, there will be grief associated with it,” Stein added.
The Astascadero News in nearby Astacadero, California reports that Arata was arrested for “participation in a riot, unlawful assembly, conspiracy, unlawful imprisonment and resisting arrest.” In contrast, a San Luis Obispo Tribune reporter said that he saw “at least four police officers in riot gear run up to Arata, surround and restrain her, and quickly pull her into a police vehicle without making any announcement.” Video shared on Twitter shows four police officers grabbing Arata and pulling her towards the car as onlookers are pushed out of the way.
If convicted of these charges, Arata faces up to fifteen years in prison.
