Who was arrested during the latest protest at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo?

May 24, 2024

By KAREN VELIE

For the second time this year, a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo resulted in numerous arrests. Police arrested eight people during Thursday's protest, including four students, a professor and three people unconnected to the campus.

At 7:15 a.m., several callers reported that a group of students was blocking the California Boulevard entrance to Cal Poly, according to Matt Lazier, Cal Poly media relations director. Assisted by SLO police officers and SLO County sheriff's deputies, Cal Poly police officers arrived to find wooden barricades and three students chained together in the roadway. In total, 15 to 20 people participated in the demonstration.

“Police issued a dispersal order, but some protesters did not comply, leading to arrests,” Lazier said.

Of those arrested, six were booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail while two were arrested, cited and released.

• Jay Erker, 44, lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, charged with obstructing an officer
• Mohamed Cheour, 25, charged with resisting arrest, obstructing the free movement of a person and two offenses related to removing a person from police custody
• Alejandro Bupara, 29, accused of remaining at an illegal assembly after receiving a dispersal order
• Jade Pinney, 28, charged with remaining at unlawful assembly after being ordered to disperse
• Theodore Lee, 21, charged with obstructing the free movement of a person
• Alexis Barksdale, 24, charged with obstructing the free movement of a person
• Barbara Wildman, accused of obstructing a road
• Henry Miller, accused of obstructing a road

The protesters' demands included divestment from all companies profiting from the war, dropping all charges against the student protesters, and support for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Regarding divestment, Cal Poly has no place in boycotting/divestment from certain countries. International boycotts and divestments are inherently political and often involve complex and historical geopolitical issues,” according to Lazier. “The role of the university is to serve as a content-neutral space for the free exchange of ideas, thoughts and discourse; the university is not a political body and its role is not to create public policy or foreign policy strategies.

Additionally, Cal Poly's administration does not have the option to drop the charges filed by the SLO County District Attorney's Office against the protesters.

Bupara already faces six misdemeanor charges for battery on a peace officer in connection with a pro-Palestinian protest at Cal Poly on Jan. 23 during which eight people were arrested. He has a pretrial conference on the battery charges scheduled for July 11.

Also arrested during the January 23 protest, Cal Poly professor Shanae Aurora Martínez, 38, is accused of battery on a peace officer. She is due for another arraignment regarding the battery charge on July 11.

Martínez, an assistant professor of English who specializes in indigenous literatures, is scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing June 10 on a charge of driving under the influence.