Hundreds expected for Tianna Arata’s hearing in SLO. Here’s how to watch it online
Thursday’s hearing for protest leader Tianna Arata and another activist will be live-streamed to the public as the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court braces for a massive public turnout as formal charges were filed in the high-profile case.
Arata, 20, and Elias Bautista, 22, were charged by the District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday for their roles in a July 21 march.
Assistant District Attorney Eric Dobroth confirmed “a series of misdemeanors” have been filed against Arata, while Bautista has been charged with at least one felony.
Black Lives Matter organizers said Wednesday that more than a thousand people are expected to gather at the courthouse in San Luis Obispo for the 8:30 a.m. arraignment.
On Wednesday, the court released instructions for viewing the hearing, as well as access to the courthouse, which, aside from the parties involved, will be limited to 120 people on a first-come, first-served basis.
Court CEO Michael Powell explained that few people will be able to sit inside the courtroom due to COVID-19 restrictions, but that because of the virtual nature of the hearing, audience members will only be able to view the back of a monitor facing the judge.
People who want to go inside the courthouse and are not on calendar will be limited to 120 people based on available public seating in the lobby and hallways, Powell said, and only about 15 people will be able to watch a live-stream inside the Jury Services building next to the lobby.
However, free WiFi is available in and around the building and attendees may watch the stream on their mobile devices, Powell said.
Normal court business will be happening as usual, and people needing access to the building for unrelated cases on calendar will not be affected by the policy.
All attendees are expected to follow mask and social distancing measures inside the courthouse. No signs or placards will be permitted inside.
Arata’s attorney, Patrick Fisher, said Wednesday that he expects his client to appear in court via Zoom conference, which is not uncommon for defendants who are out of custody during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fisher said that as of Wednesday afternoon, he had not heard whether any filing decision has been made by the District Attorney’s Office.
Bautista told The Tribune he is required to appear in court. His attorney could not immediately be reached Wednesday.
To watch the hearing online, go to slo.courts.ca.gov and click on “Live Court Hearings” in the upper left menu. Select “Department 5.”
Awaiting decision on charges
Arata and Bautista are awaiting a filing decision on a range of charges stemming from the July 21 event, which included marchers blocking Highway 101 and multiple altercations with drivers. The two were arrested shortly after the protest ended.
The Police Department has recommended a total of eight charges against Arata: four felony counts of false imprisonment; one felony count of conspiracy; and three misdemeanor counts, including resisting or obstructing a peace officer, participating in a riot and unlawful assembly.
The department also recommended two felony counts of resisting or obstructing a peace officer with force, and a count of taking of another person from custody by means of a riot for Bautista.
On Aug. 25, hundreds of people gathered at the SLO Courthouse to support Arata and hear from her and other speakers calling on District Attorney Dan Dow to decline to file SLOPD’s recommended charges. The event featured one of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement.
R.A.C.E. Matters SLO County, a local anti-racism organization, released a statement on the group’s Facebook page urging the DA’s Office not to pursue police recommendations, saying the “trumped-up charges are meant to target and intimidate the community into silence.”
On Tuesday afternoon, a handful of local Black Lives Matter organizers attempted to deliver boxes of pages printed from a Change.org petition calling on the District Attorney’s Office to drop the charges against Arata. That petition — which is in no way legally binding — had attracted more than 545,000 signatures from across the world as of Wednesday.
The DA’s Office would not accept the signatures, however, saying it would be unethical to make a filing decision based on public sentiment, and that they were under no legal requirement to accept the petition.
This story was originally published September 2, 2020 at 3:41 PM.
