San Luis Obispo Police arrested a 55-year-old man Sunday on suspicion of public intoxication after receiving reports that he wore Ku Klux Klan-style clothing, according to a department press release.
Police identified the man as Kristoffer Hans Pfister, a San Luis Obispo resident. Court records show Pfister entered guilty or no-contest pleas to misdemeanor DUI in 2013, an alcohol-related reckless-driving charge in 2017 and two misdemeanor battery counts in 2024. In 2019, he was charged with two felony counts of making criminal threats, which were dismissed before a hearing.
Police received a call regarding a verbal altercation at Creekside Mobile Home Park late Sunday night. Pfister was identified at the scene and left before authorities could arrive.
Pfister was later apprehended after police spotted him taking off the clothing on South Higuera Street.
Officers investigated whether a hate crime had also occurred but did not find sufficient evidence at the time. The department documented the incident as a non-criminal hate expression.
“Hate is not okay. We want San Luis Obispo to be a place where everyone feels welcome. We can’t do that when you’re experiencing horrible expressions like this person chose,” San Luis Obispo Mayor Erica Stewart said in an interview with Mustang News.
The mayor also encouraged anyone who experiences hate to report it to the city’s hotline at 805-781-7312.
“Instead of reporting it to Reddit, please report hate to the place where we can actually do something,” Stewart said.
Cal Poly’s Black Student Union released a statement, calling attention to the harm that the KKK has inflicted on the Black community for over 150 years.
“We are continually dehumanized and reminded how that history still affects the present,” the BSU wrote.
The BSU wrote that racism remains deeply rooted nationally and locally, stating that San Luis Obispo’s celebration of the Mission system overlooks its history of erasure and violence. The group wrote that Klan-style clothing carries a history of danger and hatred for Black communities.
The Diversity Coalition of San Luis Obispo County also released a statement on the hate expression.
The incident invoked a local history of Klan activity and racist intimidation, according to the statement. The coalition cited a 1925 KKK march and rally in San Luis Obispo, as well as the cross burning outside an Arroyo Grande Black family’s home 15 years ago. They wrote that Klan-style clothing carries a history of racial terror, intimidation, violence and white supremacy.
“Due to this recent event, knowing that this has harmed the community, the city stands with those impacted, and together we can support one another and build a community where all people are represented, respected, valued and heard,” Matt Pennon, San Luis Obispo’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager, wrote on behalf of the City of San Luis Obispo.
The Police Department responded promptly in their investigation and reaffirmed their commitment to “fostering a safe community for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, identity, or religion,” according to a statement released by the city of San Luis Obispo.