Motorcyclist drives into Black activists protesting in downtown SLO, video shows
Two Black activists were hit by a motorcycle while crossing a street in downtown San Luis Obispo during a march Wednesday afternoon — and witnesses said the act seemed intentional.
“I have no words really,” said LeiYahna Jefferson, one of the protest organizers who was hit by the vehicle. “He came at full force and he hit me.”
About 30 to 60 people marched Wednesday afternoon from the San Luis Obispo County courthouse to the Marsh Street post office to mail more than 544,000 signatures calling for charges against local activist Tianna Arata to be dropped.
Organizers initially tried delivering the boxes of signatures to San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow’s office directly on Wednesday, but they were turned away.
So they decided to mail the signatures and hold a last-minute march Thursday from the courthouse to the post office, according to protester Michael Giuffre.
“If Dan Dow had accepted the signatures, today wouldn’t have happened,” Giuffre said.
Black activists hit by motorcycle while crossing crosswalk, protesters say
Giuffre said Black Lives Matter protesters stuck to the right side of the road when marching so as to not completely block traffic.
On their way back to the courthouse, protesters stopped at the corner of Osos Street and Higuera Street, near Firestone Grill and Woodstock’s Pizza.
According to protester Calvin Stokes, demonstrators stood on all four sidewalks at the intersection and chanted “so that people at the bank, the people at Banana Republic, the people at Firestone and Woodstock’s could all hear us.”
Around 3:30 p.m., two of the march’s organizers used the crosswalk to go from one side of Higuera Street to the other while the crosswalk sign permitted them to do so.
The two organizers — Jefferson and Josephine Agoruah — were nearly across the way when the streetlight turned yellow and a motorcyclist turning left onto Higuera Street hit them. Agoruah was hit in the hand, and Jefferson on the left side of her body.
Giuffre said the act appeared to be intentional, adding that the man on the motorcycle had been revving his engine while protesters chanted. He also had multiple lanes to turn into, but chose the one that the protest organizers occupied, Giuffre said.
“I see the motorcyclist revving their engine, knowing he doesn’t have the right of way ... and then he turned and targeted the Black organizer,” Giuffre, who was standing near Firestone, said. “He had all three lanes and went right for them.”
In a video of the incident obtained by The Tribune, a peace keeper and two protest leaders can be seen chanting “Power to the people” while standing in and near the crosswalk.
As soon as the stoplight turns yellow, a motorcycle is seen driving into one of the women, who jumps back out of the video frame.
Agoruah said she and the unidentified man made eye contact while she was chanting “power to the people” into a megaphone.
“This guy ... was already shaking his head. He looked pissed,” Jefferson said.
Jefferson said she didn’t know where to turn as the motorcyclist sped her way, so she tried to jump back out of the way.
“He came at me full on force. My leg flew back. ... My nails came off,” Jefferson said.
“I’m surprised I didn’t fall over,” she added. ”I’m literally so surprised that I did not fall.”
Agoruah said the motorcyclist “hit my arm, and he full on made contact with LeiYahna.”
After the collision, Agoruah said she immediately dropped her megaphone and chased after the motorcycle as a group of protesters gathered around Jefferson to see if she was hurt.
“I witnessed my mother get run over before, so seeing someone I care about get hit, my body just went into overdrive, Agourah said. “I didn’t know what I was doing. I just knew I was going down the street.”
“It was very traumatizing,” Agoruah added.
Jefferson and Agoruah said they did not feel any immediate injuries, but Jefferson planned to get a checkup at a hospital to determine her condition.
“It felt like my left side was hit, but everything happened so fast,” Jefferson said.
According to Agoruah, San Luis Obispo police officers who were present at the march did not immediately follow the motorcycle or attempt to pull the man over.
“The cops weren’t there for us,” Agoruah said. “(The motorcyclist) was able to make it all the way to the police station. ... They let him make it to the station, where he told them he was attacked, without stopping him.”
Jefferson said she asked a police officer if his body camera was on so the footage could be used as evidence of the crash, but the officer told her the camera had been off.
Jefferson, Agoruah and Stokes all said they hope the man is arrested.
“If Dan Dow bring up charges against Arata because they want to single her out, because she is a leader ... then (the district attorney) better bring charges against (the motorcyclist),” Stokes said.
Stokes said the protesters were all “mentally shook” by the incident.
Giuffre agreed, saying that it “absolutely breaks my heart.” “You can tell the emotional toll and emotional impact on Black activists and organizers,” he said.
Protester, motorcyclist plan to press charges
Following Wednesday’s incident, a man posted in the Protect SLO Facebook group that he had been assaulted by protesters on the corner of Osos and Higuera streets, according to screenshots obtained by The Tribune.
“I was assaulted while turning from Osos to Higuera, by the BLM mob downtown just now. Nearly knocked off my bike,” the post by David Medzyk read. “I am at SLOPD filing a report.”
Medzyk, whose Facebook page is full of right-wing memes and photos of a white Harley Davidson that matches the one in the video, lists himself as a U.S. Army veteran.
Medzyk could not be reached for comment via Facebook messenger requests.
Jefferson said she also filed a report and will be pressing charges against the motorcyclist who allegedly struck her and Agourah.
“A lot of people .... don’t agree (with us) and they are filled with hate for us,” she said.
Jefferson said she feels “super overwhelmed” and angry that activists aren’t just fighting systemic racism, but also people who are targeting the Black Lives Matter movement and endangering the lives of people of color.
In a Facebook post at 7:49 p.m., the San Luis Obispo Police Department said that officers took a report “related to an incident that occurred at Monterey and Osos streets between a motorcyclist and protesters.”
San Luis Obispo Police Capt. Jeff Smith said that the man on the motorcycle immediately went from the intersection to the police station to file a report.
“Prior to even receiving a phone call from those involved, the (motorcyclist) was at the PD speaking with police,” Smith said.
According to Smith, both the motorcyclist and Jefferson filed reports. Police are investigating both the traffic collision report and “examining any crimes that may have been committed,” he said.
Smith said police officers have received a lot of videos of the incident and will be examining all evidence. While at the scene, officers spoke to about 15 witnesses, Smith said.
When asked about officers’ immediate response on the scene, Smith said he is unsure if officers who were at the march were able to see what happened. He said two or so officers on bicyclists were patrolling the march.
By the time information had been gathered, the man was already at the police station filing a report of his own, Smith said.
The police are asking any witnesses with information related to the incident to call 805-781-7312.
This story was originally published September 2, 2020 at 9:17 PM.
