BLM activist Tianna Arata is facing eight charges and prison time for organizing a demonstration that took place on July 22nd at Mitchell Park in San Luis Obispo, California, as previously reported.
Once the story hit a national scale, reports were saying that she is facing 15 years in prison.
District Attorney Dan Dow issued a statement in which he wrote that those rumors were “patently incorrect.”
“Recent social media posts and other media reports state that Ms. Arata faces 15 years in prison for her conduct. This is patently incorrect and a reckless statement,” it read. “All individuals charged with a crime are legally presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law. Therefore, it is premature to speculate or discuss what possible sentence would be appropriate or warranted.”
Tianna’s Civil Rights Attorney Lee Merritt Esq, tells The Shade Room that he believes District Attorney Dan Dow “has been more political in his office than he ought to be,” adding, “He’s using that office for conservative political purposes and I think that’s an extension of that.”
“I think the charges against her are totally inappropriate. Those charges are only recommendations. She hasn’t been formally charged with anything,” he continued. “It would be on the D.A. to make the determination whether or not he presents those charges to the grand jury, and then the grand jury whether or not they would move forward with indicting her on those charges.”
At the time of the protest, a driver reportedly assaulted the crowd with their car, and another protester who hasn’t been identified allegedly took a skateboard to the back of the car and broke a window, according to reports. This is what many have said caused the uproar during the protest.
“Tianna wasn’t actually in the area at the time it happened. She learned about it after the fact,” Merritt stated. “She certainly didn’t direct it.”
Melissa, Tianna’s best friend tells TSR that Tianna served a night in jail and had since been released.
Adding that T.I. and Trae Da Truth connected them to Lee Merritt Esq and they are so thankful for that.
She also stated that right wing advocacy groups were treating Tianna like a “political pawn” and they are “against the Black Lives Matter movement and trying to silence everybody.”
As of now, Tianna Arata has an arraignment scheduled for September 3rd.
