The University Diversity and Inclusion Department sent an email to the Cal Poly community today, March 18, to address the rise in Anti-Asian hate and violence throughout America over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Interim Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, Denise Isom, wrote to address the recent hate-crime shootings […]
Author Archives: Sophia McDevitt
Posted inNews
Cal Poly to hold most fall classes in person
The “vast majority” of fall 2021 classes will be held in person, President Jeffrey Armstrong announced in a campus-wide email today, March 2. Cal Poly expects fall quarter to be as close to “normal” as possible while still adhering to safety precautions, according to Armstrong’s email. The university anticipates that student spacing in classrooms will […]
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Tianna Arata’s attorneys ask for removal of SLO DA’s Office from case
On Tuesday, Nov.17, Tianna Arata’s attorneys filed a motion to disqualify the San Luis Obispo District Attorney’s (DA) Office from continuing to prosecute Arata’s case. Arata was arrested on the evening of July 21, 2020 and subsequently charged with 13 misdemeanors for coordinating and participating in a Black Lives Matter Protest. Arata is charged with […]
Posted in2020 Election
Four Years of Heidi Harmon
Heidi Harmon was elected for mayor in 2016, and is running for a third term this election. In San Luis Obispo, the mayor has equal voting power as the rest of the city council, and they’ve worked together to manage the city’s pandemic response, address the Black Lives Matter Movement, pass policies to protect the environment and more. […]
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Tianna Arata refutes statement made by mayoral candidate Cherisse Sweeney in mayoral debate
Tianna Arata posted on her Instagram story Tuesday and Wednesday to confront San Luis Obispo mayoral candidate Cherisse Sweeney for the claims Sweeney made about her relationship with Arata and other leaders of the local Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement during the Mustang News mayoral debate.
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Tianna Arata appeared in court alongside three new co-defendants
This morning, Tianna Arata was joined in court by her three new co-defendants Marcus Montgomery, Amman Asfaw and Joshua Powell, who were charged with misdemeanors for participating in a local Black Lives Matter protest three months ago. Today was the three mens’ first appearance in court since the District Attorney (DA) charged them and added […]
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Three more protestors charged for Black Lives Matter protest
The District Attorney’s Office charged three more protestors who participated in the July 21 Black Lives Matter Protest. After Tianna Arata’s defense team formally requested a dismissal of the charges against her, the District Attorney’s office responded by amending the complaint and charging three young Black men in relation to the events that occurred during […]
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City appoints interim police chief
The City of San Luis Obispo appointed Captain Jeff Smith as the city’s Interim Police Chief, according to a press release from City Manager Derek Johnson on Thursday, Oct. 8. Smith will act as police chief until the city hires a new chief. Smith has been involved in a variety of assignments and special projects […]
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Tianna Arata assigned new court date
Tianna Arata appeared by Zoom in the San Luis Obispo Superior Court yesterday, Sept. 17, where her attorney announced his intention to file a demurrer for her case and requested a date for the court to hear that plea. She will appear in court again on Thursday, Oct. 22. A demurrer is a plea entry […]
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Tianna Arata charged with 13 misdemeanors
Local activist and Cuesta College graduate Tianna Arata appeared in court for the first time today, Sept. 3 since she was arrested following a Black Lives Matter protest she organized in San Luis Obispo in July. District Attorney Dan Dow announced yesterday that she would be charged with 13 misdemeanors, including five counts of false imprisonment, […]
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Local activist Tianna Arata arrested after Black Lives Matter protest
The San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD) and the District Attorney’s Office coordinated to arrest 20-year-old local activist Tianna Arata at the end of a protest in support of Black Lives Matter. Arata was arrested by the San Luis Obispo Police Department around 9 p.m Tuesday night at the end of the five-hour protest. She […]
