California
Racist police texts leave mayor, residents emotional at meeting
A clarification to an earlier version of this article has been added.
ANTIOCH — Emotions boiled over in a tense city council meeting Tuesday following the release of racist text messages allegedly sent by Antioch police, with the mayor at one point getting into a heated exchange with a resident who called for an investigation of him instead.
Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe has called for an audit of police internal affairs and the firing of anyone involved in the sending of racist or homophobic texts, many of which were released in court on Tuesday. The texts, directed mainly at Black and Latinos, included names of 23 officers who now have been placed on administrative leave.
Thorpe himself was the subject of one text exchange in which an officer offered to “buy a prime rib dinner” to anyone who shot the mayor during a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020 with a projectile used on protesters.
While most speakers condemned the texts, in his defense of the police department, Sal Sbranti accused the council of doing a “poor job” and called for an audit of Thorpe’s text messages, including during protests against Antioch police more than two years ago, as well as other unrelated past happenings with council members and staff.
“You want an audit? Let’s get an audit of your text messages,” Srbanti told Thorpe, after which the mayor said, “Get it!”
The audience soon erupted, with people jeering Sbranti, some calling out “whataboutism,” referring to Sbranti’s counteraccusations and the raising of different issues, to which the mayor tried to quiet the crowd.
Video: Antioch mayor calls a comment ‘dog-whistle racism.’
“Everybody settle down,” Thorpe said. “But that is a dog whistle, dog-whistle racism, an apologist for what’s absolutely wrong with this city.”
“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.”
Sbranti, having left the podium and microphone and out of all but a few TV cameras’ views, then walked up to the left side of the dais, and according to several observers, challenged the mayor to go outside.
“You want to go outside?” the mayor shouted back. “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.”
Following a five-minute recess, Thorpe apologized for losing his cool.
“I ask everyone for patience, including myself,” he said. “…For those of you who know, it’s been a rough week (referring to his father’s death). But after reading some of those texts … it was personal to me. All I heard was n…er, n…er, n…er. That should be personal to everybody in this room. Every single person. That should be personal to you, too.”
Dozens of other residents also spoke out during public comments about the alleged police offenses, which were uncovered as part of a wide-ranging FBI and Contra Costa County District Attorney’s investigation of East Bay officers. The texts were ordered released to defense attorneys last Friday.
“What is happening, I can’t even believe it, it’s disgusting,” Melissa Case said, referring to the racist text messages while admitting she was one of the mayor’s harshest critics. “It’s more than disgusting and something needs to be done. I hope Chief Ford gets that cancer out of the APD ASAP.”
Kathryn Wade, whose son Malad Baldwin was beaten by police several years earlier and has often asked the council for help regarding police matters, was hopeful that “what is hidden in the dark will come to light.”
“Tonight is the night of celebration,” she said. “Thank you all who’ve been a part of having to deal with this corruption because it dropped in your hands. All of our cries and complaints are now about to come to the open.”
“This comes as no surprise,” Leslie May said. “I’ve been knowing about what’s going on out here since the way before I moved out here 30, 40 years ago. But is it’s disgusting. It’s vile, and we’re not going to tolerate this, being called monkeys, gorillas, water buffaloes and threatening to fire rubber bullets at our mayor.”
Gigi Crowder recalled how her own son, then 15, was harmed after being arrested for a curfew violation.
“I am the executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness [Contra Costa], and I know how racism impacts an individual’s life when they are in a city and don’t feel welcome,” Crowder said.
Velma Wilson, however, took a different stance. She said she supported the Antioch police chief and all the Antioch police officers she has “personally engaged with.”
“I want to say I do agree that every council member, every person in this room have, at one point, have made a racist or prejudicial comment, but your text messages and your emails are not public,” said Wilson, who is Black. “I am also guilty of making those comments. But guess what? I am still serving the community faithfully.”
Carolyn Simmons meanwhile said she stood in support of Black and Brown mothers who have lost their sons to police brutality.
“I asked myself the question, do our Black and Brown boys get what they deserve, or do they deserve what they get?” she said. “And I keep coming up with the same response. No, they don’t have anything coming just because of the color of their skin.”
Council members thanked the public for sharing their stories.
“It takes a lot of courage to come out and speak your heart and speak your truth,” Councilwoman Monica Wilson said. “I know for a lot of you, this has been building up for years and you need to let this out. You need to speak your piece and you need to speak your truth.”
“I’m not going to pretend that I know how people coming up here and we can hear the hurt and their voice how this made people feel,” Councilman Mike Barbanica said. “What I will say is that I’ve been assured by the city manager, city attorney and the police chief that a proper investigation of any accusations will occur. I have faith in Chief Ford, that he will move forward with that.”
Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock said she hadn’t read any of the news articles about the text messages. “This is the first I’ve heard.”
“At this point, I am going to reserve my remarks because I want to see what the auditor is going to come back and do, and I believe in the police chief. I believe that he will take the necessary actions that need to be taken against whomever. These accusations may or may not be true.”
Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker meanwhile called the texts “trauma porn” and said she initially didn’t want to hear or read the texts.
“Nobody of color should have to read it, see it or deal with it, because it further traumatizes you,” she said, noting the texts were “disturbing.”
Torres-Walker also said she was upset nothing had been done in the past as residents have been complaining before she was on council while others have feared coming forward with their concerns.
“I think what I really want to say is that, as we hopefully stand on the right side of justice tonight and do what we need to do as a council and that Chief Ford chooses to stay in Antioch because it will be a choice.”
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