Eight protestors, including three Cal Poly students, appeared in court for the first time Tuesday morning since their arrest at the January career fair protest that had escalated into a violent encounter with police.
All eight arrested are facing misdemeanor charges of battery of a police officer, according to the complaint. Seven of the eight were arraigned at the courthouse on Tuesday.
Additionally, Cal Poly junior Ollie Lamkin faces an additional misdemeanor charge for resisting arrest. Lamkin is shown tackled to the ground in a video from the protest.
The seven arraigned so far pled not guilty, with pretrial scheduled to begin Mar. 19.
About 20 students protested outside the Cal Poly Recreation Center on Jan. 23 due to the presence of recruiters of recruiters from defense companies, including Lockheed Martin, at the career fair.
The protest, organized by Cal Poly Students for Quality Education (SQE), was led by pro-Palestine students’ disapproval of the companies’ involvement in the Israel-Hamas war.
Cal Poly Police Department (CPPD) officers attended the hearing to issue warrants for four cell phones of the protestors, according to The Central Coast Organization.
Update: Cal Poly Spokesperson Matt Lazier confirmed the hearing to issue cellphone warrants.