Police shootings, Black Lives Matter protests and a wildfire: SLO County has 4 busy weeks
Usually Photos From the Vault reaches back a few years into history, but given that the last four weeks have been historically newsy this column will be a collection of vignettes.
Coronavirus pandemic continues
This is the biggest public health story that most reporters, photographers and editors at The Tribune have covered in our careers. Early in the coronavirus pandemic, we found that stories could evolve so quickly they became obsolete in the course of the day’s reporting.
Our biggest role has been to try to report accurate information.
As science acquires better data, the story evolves. What we know about the virus that causes COVID-19 is only a few months old and it still is too early to write the book on the disease.
We have covered county health briefings, businesses that have been affected by coronavirus-related closures and families dealing with remote learning and loved ones in care facilities.
The basic question everyone has is, “How do I keep safe and protect my loved ones?”
The second question is, “When will things return to normal or what is the new normal?”
Shootings in Paso Robles
For two days, local law enforcement officers faced off against Mason Lira, suspected of killing a homeless man during a shooting spree that left four officers injured.
On the second day of a massive manhunt for Lira, shots had been fired and police were converging on Ramada Drive.
Tribune reporter Nick Wilson and I tried to record the unfolding scene as we sent video and photos and posted to social media. Tribune photographer Laura Dickinson assembled our cell phone clips into a video as we sent them.
One of the unreported moments I remember is a phone ringing over the speaker of a law enforcement vehicle. The ringtone was customized. It sounded like a spouse calling and went unanswered every few minutes or so.
As law enforcement officers searched for Lira, who was moving through dense undergrowth in the Salinas River and coming into town in the early morning hours, they had to sort through many situations — including encounters with other people living in the Salinas River and reports coming in from San Simeon to Nipomo of suspect sightings.
Sheriff Ian Parkinson and Paso Robles Police Chief Ty Lewis were somber and measured at a June 11 news conference after the gunman had been killed and four law enforcement officers wounded over the course of a two-day series of gun battles.
“They are heroes and they need to be recognized as such,” Lewis said of the wounded officers.
They acknowledged that the community had been on high alert and the loss felt by the family of James Harding Watson, who investigators think Lira shot and killed near the Paso Robles train station.
They also expressed sympathy for Lira’s family members, who had tried to care for his mental health needs.
“We wanted a peaceful ending to this,” Parkinson said. “That is not our job to pronounce sentence. We were hoping for nothing more than him to give up ... come out of the bushes and say ‘I give up.’ ”
Black Lives Matter protests
The Black Lives Matter movement began with the use of #BlackLivesMatter hashtag on social media after George Zimmerman was acquitted of the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in 2012.
George Floyd died May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. Four officers involved in the incident now face charges including murder.
The protests that have followed Floyd’s killing have been the largest civil rights demonstrations since the movement of the 1950s and ’60s.
There have been several protests in San Luis Obispo County, but only one notable communication breakdown.
On June 1, San Luis Obispo police and protesters failed to peacefully resolve a standoff after a day-long demonstration that included marchers shutting down Highway 101.
Tear gas was used on Santa Rosa Street to break up the crowd. Rocks and water bottles were then lobbed downhill at riot gear-clad police officers, and more teargas followed.
Communication between the parties has since improved, and protests throughout the county have been robust and peaceful.
Police chiefs Deanna Cantrell of San Luis Obispo and Ty Lewis of Paso Robles have walked with protesters.
Locally, police agencies are examining use-of-force guidelines, including the banning of carotid restraints.
Unfortunately on a national level, violence has not been avoided. Much of it again has been recorded and shared on social media, and video recordings often contradict initial official reports.
A publicly shared Google spreadsheet documents 600 instances of police violence.
A Wall Street Journal article recorded at least 20 people have suffered traumatic eye injuries from rubber bullets.
Journalist Linda Tirado was permanently blinded in one eye by a police projectile while covering Minneapolis protests. In the same city, a police station was burned.
Most recently two Atlanta police officers have had up to 11 charges filed against them, including felony murder, after Rayshard Brooks was shot to death during a DUI investigation.
Local march co-coordinator Tianna Arata told an applauding crowd of more than 3,000 people gathered before the San Luis Obispo courthouse steps on June 4 that “I need you to doing some basic leg work. It is not my job to do all of this.”
She said she was honored to have a platform to speak out on issues often ignored, but added, “It’s a lot to handle.”
“To white and non-Black people, please don’t look to me for all the answers, she said. “Use your resources. You know you have them. Don’t act like you’ve never taken a class before.”
Mental health help needed
Two stories mentioned here are interrelated: the shootings in Paso Roles and the Black Lives Matter marches.
The shootings in Paso Robles were attributed to a man who struggled with mental health issues.
Sheriff Ian Parkinson noted in a news conference that he wished that he could turn back the clock to before the shooting started.
One of the calls in the protest marches is to reallocate money from law enforcement to social services such as mental health in the hope that it might prevent violent confrontations and improve the quality of life for those treated.
The Tribune has reported on mental health issues over the years. Ann Fairbanks wrote stories in the 1990s, Tonya Strickland and Matt Fountain have authored series of stories on the need for training and services. They have also told the stories of those who, with assistance, have re-entered mainstream life.
Within the last few weeks, a homeless encampment along San Luis Creek was dismantled and an attempts were made to connect those living along the creek with services.
The need for mental health care is a multilayered problem that defies simple solutions and requires a persistent effort.
School graduations
From drive through graduations at Central Coast New Tech High School in Nipomo and in front of City Hall in Atascadero to a park-and-watch graduation at Coast Union High School in Cambria, local school celebrations have been unique this year.
On one day, there were six graduation ceremonies going on, straining our resources to cover them. But we did what we could with some assistance from those who provided photos of the events we couldn’t get to.
Tribune editor Joe Tarica brainstormed and organized a special section the Tribune published for grads. Thanks to all the school districts who helped compile the information.
Wildfire in Pismo Beach
After the Avila Fire, my car smells like the inside of a Farmer John smokehouse.
In my mind, I hear Vin Scully’s voice, “Easternmost in quality, westernmost in flavor.”
Firefighters had no chance to stop the vegetation fire from moving as wind gusts of 27 mph and steep, brush-covered hillsides stacked the deck against them. But they made a determined stand with help of air tankers and helicopters and were able to save every house in the flames’ path.
Within a matter of hours, firefighters from Riverside, Santa Barbara, Monterey and other far-flung locations were assisting San Luis Obispo County firefighters.
I saw engines from Cal Fire and the cities of Atascadero and San Luis Obispo splotched or doused with retardant dropped from air tankers.
Sheriff’s Office deputies and Pismo Beach police officers managed evacuations and patrolled the streets.
Helicopter pilots braved fierce canyon winds that rocked their heavily laden crafts as they maneuvered around each other to make pinpoint drops. Then they headed back to the ocean to pick up water for another run.
Tribune reporter Kaytlyn Leslie was on the scene and later organized a gallery of dramatic photos and videos. The first edit of my video clips was done by Sacramento Bee video producer Alyssa Hodenfield, allowing me to keep making pictures as the fire progressed.
The Tribune still needs your support
The Tribune just completed a successful donation campaign drive to help secure revenue lost to coronavirus.
Thank you to the civic-minded patrons who value locally generated news. We strive every day to provide information of value to the community.
By supporting The Tribune and SanLuisObispo.com it helps focus our attention where it should be — news that matters to readers.
Historically, the press has been operated as a for-profit, locally managed business. The internet revolution has new pressures and consolidations across all media.
Reporters, editors and photographers will be working from home over the next few months as several McClatchy newspapers attempt to trim expenses and preserve staff in order to cover stories.
Subscribers will play a big part in shaping what comes next.
A person complained to me about The Tribune’s online paywall not long before I snapped photos while dodging tear gas on Santa Rosa Street.
Tribune reporter Casandra Garibay was on the scene as well, just a few months after being hired full-time after an internship and graduation from Cal Poly.
Complaining about subscriptions is not a particularly original thought. Newspaper editors of the Tribune in the 1800s would regularly ask readers to come to the office and settle their annual accounts.
The ironic thing is seeing people who post videos to identify shoplifters also post suggestions on how to bypass the paywall or copy and paste our work.
It is flattering to see that the work is valuable enough to steal but please keep in mind that we are fellow members of your community. We care about the same stories and have the same bills to pay.
Digital subscriptions are modestly priced starting at $16 a month. That’s three dollars more than a standard Netflix subscription or about a week’s worth of premium coffee.
I understand that not everyone can afford even the the digital=only subscription.
The Tribune has dropped the paywall on critical stories about coronavirus and other subjects. Limited content is free via Facebook live, Twitter or YouTube channels.
Whatever tomorrow brings, we will try to tell that story with you, our readers, in mind.
