By Tony Hicks –
A controversy over racist and homophobic text messages circulated among Antioch police officers spilled over into Tuesday night’s Antioch City Council meeting, where Mayor Lamar Thorpe openly challenged at least one critic who called for an investigation into Thorpe.
“You wanna go outside right now — let’s go! I am sick and tired of being attacked by these people in this community apologizing for the racism that is going on in this community,” Thorpe said in the meeting, standing behind his seat and pointing. “You’re the problem. You’re the problem.”
At least eight officers were suspended in the past year during an ongoing joint federal and Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office probe into civil rights violations and other police misconduct.
Thorpe said in a news conference last week that following an internal city probe, “several” officers were placed on administrative leave due to policy violations he later confirmed were officers circulating racist text messages.
Thorpe confirmed in a video last weekend — during which he called for an independent equity audit of the Police Department going back several years — that a judge had released the names of 17 officers involved in the texting scandal, including the president of the Antioch police union. The disclosure seemed to confirm the text messages were related to the larger overall investigation.
Thorpe said Tuesday that 24 officers were actually involved in sending the text messages.
“This was in their heart,” Thorpe said. “It’s not just 17 individuals we’re talking about; we’re now talking about 24. I’m not sweeping it under the rug. We’re not going to do that. They may get upset. The institution and the status quo may get upset, but I’m not hiding behind that. This is what is and we got to deal with it.”
At Tuesday’s meeting, the council was slated to explore changing city procedure and having Police Chief Steven Ford report directly to the council, as opposed to the city manager.
City Manager Cornelius Johnson was suspended by the council last month for an apparent mixup with a former city spokesman, who allegedly quoted Ford saying something to the media Ford denied saying.
The council didn’t vote on changing who Ford will report to moving forward but asked the city attorney to move forward with officially changing the reporting process and bringing it back for a council vote.
Councilmember Monica Wilson said Wednesday, “We’re just about there,” when asked if the city is facing a crisis with so many officers on leave.
“It’s a culture that’s been allowed to persist for years,” Wilson said. “Community members are upset. Some say this has been happening for so long, while others say they had no idea.”
“The trust is gone,” Wilson said. “People are saying ‘The one place I’m supposed to call when I’m in trouble and, can I trust them?'”
On Wednesday, Thorpe said the council all informally agreed the police chief should report directly to the council and expects the change to happen at the next council meeting.
Thorpe said reporting to the council makes the process more transparent.
“It makes it a public process,” Thorpe said. “It’s dangerous to have that buffer. A chief can hide behind the city manager.”
Thorpe said Ford assured the council he can maintain regular staffing levels, though “I get concerned that we’re overextended.”
Thorpe said it will likely be done with overtime. He said there’s also a large class of police academy recruits headed for Antioch by the summer.
Thorpe said he would characterize the current scandal, not as a mess, but as a “maturation process.”
“Up until the 1990s, Antioch was 90-something percent white. Now it’s the second most racially diverse city in the Bay Area,” he said.
As to his angry words at Tuesday’s meeting, Thorpe said “I was standing up to racism. Everyone should stand up to racism. Standing up to racism can get emotional.”
25 comments
Antioch became diverse when the county moved a lot of African Americans from Richmond into the empty new/newer homes that were purchased by investors, who put the homes on the section 8 roster.
You can thank the Supervisor, District 5
A lot of these homes are not properly maintained. Waste of resources.
you can also thank BART. Once they finished the extension, the homies in Oakland could now connect with their homies in Pittsburg and Antioch. Parent that had concerns about their kids in Oakland moved out to Antioch, only to bring the trouble they were fleeing with them. All downhill from there.
So MANY problems in antioch, . . . . .
voters need to wake up and clean house IF they want their city to survive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnPcKVkmxPA
We moved out of Antioch in the late 90s. I recall newspaper headline around that time that read “The Black Migration.” Sadly, this is the result. I know an Antioch police officer. He said they’re extremely understaffed and that criminals from outside the area know this and are coming to Antioch to commit crimes.
That’s why we left Antioch it declined in the 90s.Deer Valley high school became a mess and was divided into two groups.It wasn’t safe for our kids any longer.Unfortunately it’s just as bad everywhere now.The world has gone to hell in a hand basket.
We bought first house in antioch in late 1970s, little crime, great place to live.
Fast forward, staff and city councils allowed smaller square footage houses on postage stamp sized lots, lower prices which means low parcel tax revenue to city.
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City services have to be provided to each parcel and cost of those services goes up.
Given Police staffing levels, difficulty of attracting stable qualified candidates to fill positions, would imagine overtime and possibility of outside agencies being called in to keep crime down to a dull roar . . . . can massive amounts of RED ink be far off.
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antioch voters, enjoy the consequences of your uninformed votes.
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Thorpe is a thin-skinned drama queen.
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Antioch has a lot of issues and racism and yes a lot of racism and hatred from people who are black. But that’s never addressed. That’s not considered “racism “. This guy needs to stop playing victim and open his eyes to who is The real problem. But that’ll never happen.
Wow…very professional (sarcasm). Yes people are entitled to emotions but when you are in a place of power you have to lead by example. No excuse and hiding behind the guise of racism is like a bad craftsman blaming his tools.
sad
Sounds like a new twist to defund the police movement. If the DA’s involved,expect some
actions like these.
The “afraid for my life” is as overplayed as the racism card.
I’ll bet Law Enforcement feels played. The Sheriff should have Arrested Lamar.
The law went Easy on him….and now look.
Also, you law enforcement…….need to Abide by the CONSTITUTION, not some Judge or DA.
You have a responsibility to uphold Law and keep the public safe.
Ok, I saw footage of the Mayor absolutely losing his mind, but from what I understand, it was because a concerned community member was asking pointed questions about some suspicious business arrangements and hiring processes the Mayor, Corelius Johnson and some other city council members were engaged in. The mayor went bezerk and threatened a community member for asking the question under the guise of it being related to the racist text issue. I don’t have a problem cleaning out the department, but from what the person asking questions was raising, all of city hall should be looked at as well.
Grifter gonna grift. Plenty doing the grift under the guise of social justice.
In order for this guy to be elected Mayor the city had already became dysfunctional. I would like to hear the police side of the story.
Honestly who cares. It’s all so tiresome. Btw it’s the behavior not the color. Crime states and your eyes can see the issue. Importing foreigners at an epic rate really made California awesome too. We need to Look at what our ancestors would’ve done because this post modernist Triphe has led us down the road to hell
Methinks Mayor DUI doth protest too much.
I’m glad I don’t live in Antioch.
WHAT??? Thorpe the drunken criminal wanting to fight someone outside? That does not sound like this upstanding mayor at all!!!! Lol.
So the 24 cops involved in the undisclosed “racist” texts were white?
Maybe he popped a few before the meeting, did they ever release his breathalyzer results from the arrest.
In 2001 I had a brand new 3000 square-foot home built in Antioch. All the upgrades. My wife and I lasted a year and a half there. Sold the house and moved to our 1400 square-foot house in Clayton. Best decision I ever made.
In 1993 I toured all the new developments in Antioch. There was one excellent builder in particular and their home I was interested in was on a huge corner lot. It was perfect. I toured it a few times, but always on a weekday. My girlfriend wanted to see it so we drove out on a Saturday. On the weekend the neighbors were all home. That was enough for me to walk, no make that run, away immediately.
Well….. I hope none of the OTB Cops used the “N” word.
Only the Black folks can use that word… all the time, everyday, over and over…..
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