HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/17/2020 Item 3, James
Wilbanks, Megan
From:Marshall <
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:Public Comment re: DEI Taskforce
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to voice my concern with the way the SLO PD has been handling the recent protests
in SLO. Namely, I am aghast at many of SLO PD's actions, including:
1) The armed, intimidation tactics used by SLO PD and other agencies in response to peaceful
protests on June 1 and beyond;
2) Deploying tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash bang grenades against protestors on June 1;
3) Comments made to the press by both Sheriff Parkinson and Chief Cantrell which fomented
greater fear of the protests within the community, despite no violence or vandalism on the part
of any protestor;
4) The SLO PD's release of false or mischaracterised information concerning the protests on the
freeway, including the one on July 21 in which a vehicle struck a protestor and was then
retaliated against;
5) SLO PD's violent ambush of Tianna Arata after that protest, which served no purpose other
than to terrorize and intimidate, given that Ms. Arata was at that point far removed from the
scene of any disturbance and was unarmed;
6) SLO PD's refusal to read rights to Tianna Arata as they violently arrested her, refused to given
federally-mandated information to her family about where she was being taken and on what
charges;
7) SLO PD's violent battery of Elias Bautista, which included strikes and throwing them to the
pavement without regard for their safety;
8) SLO PD's flagrant overcharging of crimes in their report to DA Dan Dow, in a transparent
attempt to dissuade future protest actions;
9) The public statements by the SLOPD made to bias the public against the protestors, such as
reports about the amount of overtime the BLM protests had 'cost the taxpayers' despite BLM not
asking for police presence and, due to a lack of violence or threats to property, were unneeded.
Furthermore, the JOB of the police is to protect citizens and property, so reporting about
'overtime' on a department that operates 24/7 is laughable.
I am a local taxpayer and business owner and I value the right to protest, even and especially if
it is inconvenient to the state. If the police feel inconvenienced by a protest meant to
demilitarize it, I say that is a good thing. I want to see less weapon-toting violence-prone
legally-immune cops on my streets.
Marshall James
859-552-5524
Co-founder of Time Traveler Media
"Sending Messages into the Future!"
Congressional Liaison with Citizens Climate Lobby
Creator of The Greenest Generation
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