After a downtown looting and vandalism spree on May 31 and a Black Lives Matter protest the next afternoon that turned violent in the traffic lanes of Interstate 680, Walnut Creek City Council members on Tuesday wanted to hear more about why their city blew up on social media for the wrong reasons.
During an eight-hour-plus council meeting that didn’t end until after 2 a.m. Wednesday, police leaders worked to explain how they reacted, why they did what they did and what they felt worked and what didn’t.
“There was a lot of great work done those days, but we’re not averse to holding ourselves accountable for what went wrong,” Police Chief Thomas Chaplin told the council.
On June 9, Mayor Loella Haskew asked Chaplin and City Manager Dan Buckshi for reports on the police response to the Black Lives Matter protest and the looting.
And on Tuesday night, the council was told how law enforcement responded to vandalism, looting and various protests in that city from May 30 through June 5, including the May 31 downtown vandalism and the June 1
protest that spilled onto 680 and included tear gas and an attack by a police dog.
Just before Walnut Creek police leaders gave that report, their department was put on blast by critics for more than three hours for what they called a militaristic over-response to the protests.
The City Council was similarly roasted for not having done enough to make changes in the Police Department policy since the June 2, 2019 death of 23-year-old Miles Hall, killed by police near the Hall family’s home.
Hall’s family had called police for help with Miles, who was having a mental health-related episode. But Miles — who was wielding a steel rod he would not drop — was shot and killed.
As detailed in the police staff report to the council, the first peaceful protest in Walnut Creek occurred May 30. But the next night, May 31, an estimated 600 people vandalized and looted approximately 40 businesses in the downtown area and beyond.
All three of Broadway Plaza’s anchor stores – Macy’s, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus — all sustained significant damage and looting. One person was shot by an unknown person during the vandalism spree. Police officers pepper-sprayed looters, forcing some of them to leave stolen merchandise behind.
“We did not have all the advance notice that some people think we did,” said police Capt. Jay Hill, who also noted police were greatly outnumbered.
On June 1, what began as a peaceful Black Lives Matter downtown protest grew into a tense standoff between police and protesters at the Lawrence Way entrance to 680.
Protesters surrounded two California Highway Patrol cars and blocked a SWAT vehicle’s path onto the highway; a protester was shooting video, in which some heard a SWAT officer’s command as, “Move or you will be dead.”
Hill said a sound recording from a SWAT officer’s body cam shows the quote was, “Move or you will be gassed.”
A short time later, officers used tear gas and one 40mm “sponge round” against protesters, gaining access to the freeway to help the CHP officers.
A protester picked up a tear gas canister and threw it back at police, striking an officer. That protester was shot in the thigh with a 40mm sponge round, the city report said. A police dog eventually bit that
protester, and the wounds required medical treatment. Overall, eight protesters were arrested June 1.
Hill said police indeed planned for the worst, having seen other protests around the U.S. get out of control. Such a response, he said, required “riot gear.” He also said police didn’t expect the march to the freeway.
I would rather be criticized for doing my job with results than be criticized for allowing my city to burn as in Minneapolis. You can’t please everyone.
One more point. If the police had put a choke hold on Rayshard in Atlanta he would still be alive. We really don’t need city councils telling police how to handle violent criminals. They have no idea what it is like to fight a person on drugs or alcohol that is larger and stronger than you.
I for one commend the WC police for their efforts as they were severely hampered by their bosses
yes we all know the boss of the police is ….the city council
they deem their engagements and public image
they also demean the police captain and personnel for actions instead of getting whole story ….they just play to the democrat creedo that this state employs
all exits should have had barricades and enough officers to deter this situation ….poor management by the city council and pandering to looters led to the bad situation
blaming the police and or holding a bash session against how they handled a situation while outmanned and poorly backed by the council is why this county and state are doomed to implode
WC is being fleeced by criminals because of the lack of a back bone by the city councils in the entire county
there is absolutely no reason to back crime and criminals …none
Thank you for your brilliant response.
I am very proud of the Walnut Creek Police for defending our City and freeway from a bunch of angry lunatics running wild, They should be honored for a job well done…,
instead they are criticized by a bunch of old blind bats who don’t see leaf blowers run a muck all over the City of Walnut Creek polluting the air we breathe and never updating ordinances or listening to the public
It’s time for the two headed monster” Haskew&Silva’ to retire into oblivion. :(.
The democraps in our Limp and Wilted city council will be hiking up ticket fees and parking costs to pay for all of this. A portion of proceeds with pay for Haskell’s orthodontia. Cower under a rock old crows! The nasty multi protem dunce mayors would love to defund police and have it put toward more murals on fire hydrants and ugly art placed throughout the city. Next we know it’ll be a big black head fountain in front of main street kitchen, spewing blood out the top its head. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I was going to speak favorably of WCPD last night, but couldn’t wait any longer for my turn. There was some room for improvement, and it was no where near six hundred looters on May 31, I was right across the street and in the middle of it, perhaps 150. And my comments are those of an expert…with as much training as anyone on WCPD.
108RS
Formerly of Los Angeles County Sheriff
The protester figure is massively inflated. Where were you based in LA County?
I wish the “experts” would quit lying. It has destroyed my faith in institutional information centers. Journalists, statistics, doctors.
As far as the looting goes, one only needs to look at Concord and Pleasant Hill police responses to see they could have averted much of it with more aggressive action. Instead of going straight in and grabbing looters, they seemed to wait until they had a riot line to go in and sweep in numbers. Two very brave Pleasant Hill officers broke up a group of dozens of looters off Contra Costa Blvd, right in front of me, arresting two, all within minutes of the break in. I don’t think the looters got much, if anything.
As far as the protests go, they are between a rock and a hard place. No matter what they do, they will get ripped by one side or another. I thought they did fine, considering the political circumstances.
A coworker of mine showed my a video his friend took at the protest on Lawrence Way, and they clearly said “or you will be gassed.” My opinion is that rabble rousers edited the sound in the video that circulated saying “or you will be dead.” Which should tell you something about who some of these people really are.
Don’t block the freeway and you won’t get gassed seems pretty simple to me. All was fine until people started that BS.
Thank you WCPD for doing the best you can given the times we are in.
Watching the tapes of the looters fighting among themselves illustrates the mentality of the people the police had to deal with at this event. People like that probably don’t respond well to verbal commands.
How right you are!
There is pretty good film of the Hall shooting. The family chose to remain in their house and call the police, even though on 911 call they said he will be violent towards the police. Hall charged at officer, very fast, with metal bar. They really had no choice but to shoot when bean bag either missed or did not slow him down. A tragedy, but there was really nothing they could due except exposure their fellow officer to potentially fatal violence.
exactly and Miles could have returned and killed his Grandmother and the whole family. He had already threatened them and terrorized neighbors. The Police had no time to coddle Taun’s troubled boy, that was her job and she failed.
Or Miles could have run past the police and become a danger to others on Main St.
108RS
This is sickening to me to see! How dare you make the assumption that killing miles was the only option. And using hindsight to make that call. Why was death the only option for miles? Do you think his family would have called the police if they knew they would kill him? There are other options asides from the police using their weapons. Are they not trained to talk down an individual?? If a social worker were called, Miles would still be here today. I’m sick of white people justifying police murders after the fact by digging into the history of the victim. If you cannot see the systemic issue of racism the the police system, please take the time to educate yourself.
Those cops were heroes who saved lives by endangering their own. That guy was about 4 feet away from the officer with a raised club when the other officer was forced to fire his handgun.
Heroes.
@will, are you a simpleton? Miles was running at the officers brandishing a 5 foot sharpened steel pole weighing 15 pounds. The police attempted less lethal with their bean bag shotgun but were forced to fire their sidearms when Miles was unphased by the bean bags. The only person to blame for his death is himself. It is a relief the officers did not come to harm, they were literally 1-5 seconds from having their heads caved in with a steel pole.
If someone was running at you full speed brandishing a 5 foot sharpened steel pole, if they were less than 10 feet away from you, would you defend yourself or attempt to “talk him down?”
Rottweilers, fire hoses, rubber bullets, batons. All of those should have been used to clear these scofflaws and hoodlums from the streets where honest and decent people congregate.
Barbara: – this has nothing to do with coddling, support, etc. Mentally ill souls have horrific brain chemistry imbalances. Laws in California must change in order to help them, their families and society-NO one is addressing this inhumane barbaric system. Police are trained to deal with the ill – but, they have to deal with the crime first. It’s heartbreaking- believe me – I’m going through this myself. The county and VA is just throwing tax payers money to house them ( hotels) and feed them…
When you call the Police on your own family member, nothing good can come of it,
It’s very sad, indeed, but this woman needs to stop taking up Council meetings and wasting peoples time, all for greed, Hiring John Burris and claiming he was killed because he was Black, is pure insanity.
So when did the police become the people to help the mentally ill that are threatening people? They are a law enforcement agency not a mental support agency. They are there to enforce laws, not to watch out for your mental abilities. If they are being called by family, they are there to enforce a LAW, if the family wants mental health care, they should ask for that.
Having to call the police on a family member is indeed sad. But, when the individual is beating up another family member who is older, and you are physically unable to restrain them yourself, you almost have no choice. I had to do that my self once. Some people when angry have what seems like superhuman strength and cannot be controlled. Their focus is so intense they cannot be distracted. It was a frightening situation, in this case a female who was prone to violent outbursts. When the police officer walked in, the situation was immediately neutralized and she snapped out of the violent, irrational rage. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but calling someone stronger than myself was the only alternative available at that moment to prevent any further injury to the older person. Believe me, it is not easy growing up with a family member that is mentally ill like that.
I should add that I was so grateful and relieved that the police responded immediately and took charge of the situation assisting me that day. I still am thankful to this day we have police to call when we need them.
Thank you WCPD for doing a great job. I’m sure Concord and Pleasant hill would have been hit much harder had you not stood up to the trouble makers.
Regarding the rioting and looting – With everything that was going on around the country and the Bay Area, the city should have expected it, and should have been prepared for it. It’s obvious what the priorities of the government are, what they aren’t.
I listened to the WCPD on the police scanner and from what I heard they did a really great job.
They obviously had a plan, everyone knew what the plan was.
They accounted for variables and reacted expeditiously.
I don’t think there should be any negative comments about the work done by the PD.
I think the WCPD did an excellent job and should be commended one and all.
It’s always easy to play ‘Monday Morning Quarterback’, and very painful to wake up after actually playing in the game. We have allowed our Law Enforcement Professionals to be placed in a no-win position, and law-abiding residents (the vast majority) are going to be the losers.
Police in many of the big cities where rioting and looting have taken place, with the encouragement/protection of politicians, are retiring/quitting. And I don’t blame them. If you do your job, you can end up being under arrested. If you stand by and do nothing, someone else can end up dead. Are we a people living under the Law, or are we going to choose anarchy?
I support our police and deputies. I hope our politicians and the courts do the same.
Lovely from FunCheapSF list of upcoming protest.
6/17 – Walnut Creek – Twilight March at secret location – DM @(address removed) for info – 9pm
From Instagram
“Bay Area march Wednesday, 6/17 at 9PM.
Location will be released soon. We are withholding information so to avoid interference from the pigs. Stay tuned for Information.”
“A message from the Organizers: it is time to wake up the quite, white suburbs of the east bay . We cannot continue to drag our feet behind Oakland, Berkeley, or SF. We are bring the revolution to every corner and street until the agents of the State have been abolished. Spread the word and get as many people as you can to show up!”
Perhaps WCPD and the County Mutual Aid Mobile Field Force will get another opportunity to work on their crowd control skills?
Blocking roads is never acceptable, it puts lives at risk and makes whatever movement conducting the act look like a bunch of morons.
The WCPD did NOT defend their city! Are you people kidding, the city was looted with no police intervention at all. The only thing the police did was try and corral people down different streets. They didn’t keep them off the freeway either.
It was not a job well done, it was a pitiful show of police that were too afraid to stop people from criminal trespassing, looting and other things.
At some point message needs to clearly be sent to the shopping without dollars crowd that, anytime riots happen, WC is the place NOT to hit.
How many times does this make, . . . WC being pillaged ? ? ?
I don’t blame the WC PD for what happened, at all. The Pd was overwhelmed, and no support was provided to assist their efforts to protect the city.
The fault lies with city government, that obviously falls in line with the state government. They don’t care about citizens, business owners, businesses and the middle class. They are more worried about what the crazy radicals will do and say about them, and how it might threaten their political careers.
I SUPPORT ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT! I had family in law enforcement and some of the stories I heard were just crazy. People always want to blame the police but no one truly understands what law enforcement go through unless they are law enforcement themselves. Most people just go off of the media and the negativity the media feeds us. Too many CRAZY people out there and too many people just don’t understand and I couldn’t do there job.
The growing consensus on much of the news is:
1) Protesters do NOT need to obey police orders
2) Policy can NOT use tear gas and should NOT be in riot gear
If wish it would turn out better is police just waited out protesters, but this approach leads to the Seattle Autonomous Zone.
I’m curious about what the law is in California: if you’re the owner of a store and you were inside and suddenly five or 10 people broke in to loot but at the same time you didn’t feel in danger, do you have to just watch them loot without doing anything or can you shoot them or hit them with a baseball bat or something similar?
Up to now..no one provided video of it??
Here it is:
https://youtu.be/Ei6UtgOisoc
trust me………… many people wanted enforcement..judge for yourself if this will happen again
I was appalled by WCPD standing by and watching them loot stores…Watch the video the evidence is hard to dispute. This did not happen at Sun Valley as CPD stood up and did the right thing. WCPD has always been soft! Step up to the plate boys and girls and get some new leadership while you are at it.
@”Cellophane” – are you being sarcastic with your posting that WCPD performed outstandingly?? According to most eye-witness accounts and posters, it was quite the opposite.
@Kevin – laws in CA are oriented against the common citizenry. CA does not have a “Stand Your Ground” edict. If anything if you do such a thing, you will probably end up in San Quentin wMAN-3 and possibly MAN-2 conviction.
I would love for one of these or group of them break into my home and try to loot, pillage, etc. I would end up paying for post-crime scene clean-up but my wife and I would be OK and alive!
SF needs to remove that Chesa Boudin before SF totally goes in the toilet!!
Some of ya’ll (most of ya’ll) need to hear this over and over again, #BLACKLIVESMATTER
Why do so many of you have to resort to name calling? Are you all 8? Calling people “Democraps” (Bibbey’s words not mine) is insulting to our democracy. Claycord comments have always been a hotbed for racist comments. Sad cause I like Claycord and having a local publication not owned by a big company. Too bad most of the only people who comment are stuck in the 1950’s
Too many people claim ‘racism’ for just about anything they don’t like and don’t agree with. The ‘race card’ is the go to thing for many that don’t have the intelligence and intellectual ability to see things truthfully.
Kyle,
You sure are using the racist word out of context. Just like people use systemic. If somebody doesn’t spout your belief then they are racist. What people (all people) are is frustrated. You can change every street name in the world and it won’t change a thing. Changes have to come from within. We can remove the cops from the hood but the hood will still be there. (Easy fix).
People just have a way to vent on Claycord. Try listening. Many of them provide constructive solutions.
Yes there re trolls too. That’s the internet.
And the real problem is NOT black and white.