16 Jan Antioch Council Wants to Move Forward; Public Says It Can’t Forget the Past

(Image courtesy of city of Antioch via Bay City News)

By Samantha Kennedy

One of Antioch’s newest council members hopes future talks about how to move the city forward won’t just be “complaints, complaints, complaints” from the past, many of which criticize the newly elected mayor and council members. 

City Council member Don Freitas’ comments came after numerous residents told the newly elected members at Tuesday’s meeting they wanted to see a “dramatic difference” when it came to police accountability and racism. 

“We can continue to come and have people talk about the past, and the past is very important for us to move forward, but we need to look at solutions moving forward,” said Freitas. “Sometimes people demand things, and sometimes the answer is no. Unfortunately, people don’t want to hear the word ‘no,’ so continue to criticize and rake the mayor, the council, the staff over the coals.”

“You want to move forward without healing,” resident Ashley Mahan told Freitas. “The Quinto family is sitting here and you can see their pain.” 

Cassandra Quinto-Collins, mother of Angelo Quinto who died days after Antioch police officers restrained him in 2020; Kathryn Wade, mother to Malad Baldwin who was beaten by police; and Frank Sterling Jr., a KPFA journalist who said APD’s excessive force left him hospitalized, were in the audience at Tuesday’s meeting. The three settled lawsuits with the city last year for millions of dollars. 

Under former Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe, Quinto-Collins said there was “a courageous beginning” to police reforms and hoped they’d continue. 

“I want people to know I understand there is a lot of hurt in the community,” Mayor Ron Bernal said. “There is a need for a lot of healing in the community. It starts with a discussion.” 

Bernal’s win in the November election, in which he beat Hernandez-Thorpe by over 30%, worried some Black and Brown residents. That was in part due to Bernal’s failure to publicly condemn racist rhetoric by his supporters while he was campaigning. 

Bernal called for an end to racist comments in his first comments as mayor, but some residents say that won’t stop them. 

“I agree that people that are online are making statements that are hurtful and racist is bad,” he said. “I can’t necessarily change that or stop doing things like that, but what I can do is, as the mayor, I can start a discussion with folks and bring us together to try to talk about our challenges and our differences and our hurts and our needs.” 

That racism, speakers said, is largely from online news sites, their social media pages and some online forums. Some of those sites were the source of racist comments directed at City Manager Bessie Scott ahead of her hire. 

Black leaders, including the NAACP, previously spoke out against one of those websites in 2021, saying it promoted racism. 

Council member Tamisha Torres-Walker, who was absent Tuesday with council member Monica Wilson, for example, has been the target of racist comments during her time on the council. 

“I saw a post on social media yesterday of a sign hanging over a highway near Concord and it said ‘Not White Not Welcomed’ and I thought to myself this can’t be the opinion of the majority,” Torres-Walker wrote in August, “and then I started reflecting on my time here in Antioch.” 

Nichole Gardner, an advocate for homeless residents and founder of Facing Homelessness in Antioch, said Tuesday she was tired of the “keyboard warriors.”

“You say you’re against racism, but you’re forever on these blogs being racist as f—,” Gardner said. “The racists are dividing this city.” 

Support for interim police chief

Throughout criticisms and doubts of Bernal and the new council members, support for Antioch’s interim police chief Joe Vigil was widespread and made some residents “optimistic.” 

Vigil, who succeeded William “Brian” Addington and served in the role from August 2023 to February 2024, will serve in the position while a search for a permanent police chief is underway. Addington, who was accused of withholding records during his time as chief of police in Pittsburg, will remain involved with APD as a consultant.

“He is certainly the best pick for the job,” said Devin Williams, vice chair of the Antioch Police Oversight Commission. “I know he will keep bringing the transparency and work ethic that Chief Addington has provided in the last year.” 

Vigil has 25 years of experience in law enforcement, including time in Richmond. 

Similar to the praise Vigil received surrounding his transparency efforts, Bernal and council members prioritized a new police chief who will be visible in the community and actively engage with residents.

All three were hopeful of what a search for a new permanent chief could bring. 

The new chief has “the opportunity to build one of the best police departments in the country,” said Bernal. 

Ideally, he continued, that chief is someone who is data-driven, community-oriented, has experience in community division and dealing with gun violence, and comes highly recommended. 

“I believe better days are ahead of us,” council member Louie Rocha said. 

The next Antioch City Council meeting is on Jan. 28.