How once-peaceful Black Lives Matter march in SLO ended in a standoff and tear gas
For most of two days, San Luis Obispo was spared the scenes of conflict and violence that have marred protests against racial injustice around the country.
That changed on Monday.
At 8 p.m. that evening, after hundreds of protesters took to the streets for an uplifting show of solidarity, demonstrators and police met again at an intersection that had been the site of a jubilant moment earlier in the day.
Hours later, the march would come to an end there when after a two-hour standoff, police in riot gear dispersed demonstrators by firing rounds of tear gas into the crowd.
No injuries were reported, but seven protesters were arrested.
SLO Police Chief Deanna Cantrell issued a statement on Facebook just before 10 p.m.
“We are appalled by the senseless death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week,” Cantrell said after the protest. “We support the peaceful protests fighting injustice and racism and take very seriously your First Amendment rights. We will continue to protect your right to gather and express in peaceful protest and keep you safe while exercising those rights.”
“We ask you to please use this time to express your anger and frustration through peaceful means.”
Hours later, an incident of vandalism punctuated the night when several people used a BB gun to shoot out the windows of three businesses on Marsh Street while police were still wrapping up operations at the scene of the standoff on Santa Rosa.
Second day of SLO demonstrations
Monday’s protest followed a peaceful rally and march organized by R.A.C.E. Matters SLO County on Sunday in downtown San Luis Obispo that lasted about four hours and a peaceful protest on Sunday in Santa Maria that ended in vandalism.
Many protesters who had been at the Santa Maria protest Sunday joined the San Luis Obispo March on Monday.
”I’m out here for my people, for my community, to get justice for the people that faced injustice by the police,” Santa Maria resident and protester Gifti Tefera said of the march.
Demonstrators throughout the country have been organizing anti-racism marches and protests since George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on Thursday.
Videos show a Minneapolis police officer pinning Floyd, a black man, with his knees on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes. In at least one of the videos, Floyd can be heard saying “I can’t breathe.” He died at the hospital a short time later.
The Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Floyd, Derek Chauvin, has since been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers who were present during the incident were also fired.
A six-hour march through SLO
On Monday in San Luis Obispo, hundreds of protesters gathered at 2 p.m. at Mission Plaza, before heading out on the march.
Carrying signs and chanting, protesters circled downtown, receiving salutes from local business owners.
The demonstration was marked by more than one touching moment of unity, both among the participants and as they interacted with police.
When the march passed the AM/PM at the corner of Higuera and Marsh streets, a visibly moved Miko Jackson, who is black, came out to watch.
“I’ve always felt that I was important just by myself. But watching people march and chant ‘Black lives matter,’ I’ve never felt more important and more loved,” she said through tears. “And I’m new to this community. This is a beautiful thing to me. Thank you for seeing me and telling me that I matter. Thank you!”
Later, protesters marched up Santa Rosa Street toward Foothill Boulevard.
At the intersection of Walnut and Santa Rosa streets, protesters were met by police officers in riot gear in front of the San Luis Obispo Police Department.
Marchers chanted, “I don’t see no riot here. Why are you in riot gear?” and asked the officers to kneel with them.
The protesters observed eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence in George Floyd’s memory as they knelt in the street.
One police officer bent his knee in the last minute or so of the silence, followed by the rest of the officers as the crowd cheered.
It was one of the highlights of the march. Hours later, the two groups would meet again at the same spot, but with vastly different results.
Protesters block traffic on Highway 101
After the moment with police, protesters continued north, walking onto Highway 101 and heading south on the freeway against the flow of traffic as cars stopped in their lanes.
As he marched, Santa Maria protester Allan Holguin beat a drum to the rhythm of the chants.
“We’re going to be fighting this war and hopefully our future generations won’t have to,” Holguin said.
Protesters exited the freeway at Marsh Street, chanting “Don’t shoot, hands up” as they were joined by other demonstrators.
From there, the march continued downtown again. Protesters stopped at the intersection of Marsh Street and Osos Street and knelt again in silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Officers in riot gear backed away from the area, but a helicopter began circling overhead.
Following the second moment of silence, protesters marched to the Santa Rosa Street and Higuera Street intersection, stopping while several demonstrators spoke to the crowd over a megaphone.
One of the speakers encouraged people to make their statement at the ballot box. “If you really are with us today, make sure in November, you vote.”
“For me, it means solidarity, it means unification, it means togetherness,” San Luis Obispo resident Carlton Brown III said of the march.“People are coming together behind the black community. All these people are dog-tired out here and still marching.”
“We need to show these people that hate black people that we are not thugs. We are f------ people!” Brown III said over the megaphone.
Marchers then continued up Santa Rosa Street and appeared to be heading back toward the freeway, which law enforcement was determined to prevent.
Peaceful protest reaches a standoff
At about 6 p.m. as afternoon turned to evening, police formed a wall on Santa Rosa Street at Walnut Street near the Police Station to prevent protesters from continuing back toward the highway.
About 40 to 50 officers and deputies in riot gear formed a line as people once again chanted, “I don’t see no riot here, why are you in riot gear?”
Two drones and a helicopter circled overhead, and some officers put on gas masks. An officer told The Tribune that every law enforcement agency in the county had been deployed to the march as more officers continued to arrive in riot gear.
After the protesters’ chants trailed off, the two sides faced off in a silent stalemate. The protesters then recited the names of several people who were killed by police, before many began to back away from the officers.
At that point, two of the women who were leading the protest’s path and chants encouraged participants to call it a night and warned the crowd that tear gas may follow for those who chose to stay.
As the sun began to set, police told the marchers they had received information that there was a potential safety threat to the event and ordered them to disperse. It’s unclear what the safety threat was.
At around the six-hour mark of the protest, police announced that the peaceful demonstration was an unruly gathering.
They gave the crowd of about 100 people a few warnings and a countdown to disperse. Then, they began advancing.
Officers in a skirmish line that reached from one end of the street to the other fired multiple rounds of tear gas at the protesters, who began running south toward downtown.
Some in the crowd threw water bottles at the officers.
Many people moved to the sidewalk as officers advanced to the intersection of Mill Street and Santa Rosa, firing a second round of tear gas on the way.
Eventually, the protesters cleared the street and most dispersed. Police then retreated to the station, and Santa Rosa reopened to traffic.
Some protesters, a few who said they had just arrived, lingered back on the sidewalk and watched until police had reopened both Santa Rosa and Walnut streets completely at around 9:45 p.m.
According to the Sheriff’s Log, eight protesters were arrested and cited for unruly gatherings.
SLO mayor and police chief respond
San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon, reached by phone on Monday night, told The Tribune she was preparing to head to City Hall to assess the situation and could not comment on law enforcement’s response to the protest without more information.
“I am in full support of those who are frustrated and broken-hearted about race relations in this country,” Harmon said when asked about the protests. “They have every right to be as mad as they are.”
“Making people uncomfortable is essential,” she added. “Threatening people’s safety doesn’t work.”
When asked if she had a message for residents and business owners, Harmon said she hopes the community can come together for a discussion. She said she supports business owners emerging from COVID-19 closures, as well as the protesters exercising their rights.
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Cantrell issued her statement on Facebook just before 10 p.m.
In it, while expressing her support for peaceful protests, she also indicated that police would be on the lookout for anyone looking to harm the community.
“What will not be tolerated is actions of vandalism, unsafe behavior, damaging property, theft, arson, and other acts of violence to people or property,” she continued. “Our community is just starting to reopen from being closed from COVID-19 for over two months, and our local businesses desperately need our support.”
Shortly after Cantrell posted her statement, police received reports of vandalism at three businesses on Marsh Street.
Police said that four males in a white sedan used a long BB-gun to shoot out seven windows at the Shoe Palace, Central Coast Surfboards and Founders Community Bank.
On Thursday, NAACP San Luis Obispo County announced it would hold a nonviolent Action Rally at 5 p.m. at the SLO County Courthouse. The event, co-hosted by R.A.C.E. Matters and the Cal Poly Black Faculty, is one of four simultaneous events happening around the Central Coast. For more information, visit www.naacpslocty.org.
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 11:47 PM.
