15 May Antioch Appoints Police Commissioner Accused of Problematic Views That He Denies

Joe Mitchell has been appointed to the Antioch Police Oversight Commission. (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

Antioch’s newest police oversight commissioner — accused of having racist, homophobic and anti-vaccination views — was facing what he called an “assassination” that threatened his appointment until council members backed him. 

Joe Mitchell was criticized by several residents for content on his Facebook profile that supported the Trump administration, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, and other conservative views on LGBTQ+ and immigration policy. 

“It’s easy and commonplace for people to just run with rumors and innuendo and not know what they’re talking about,” he said, denying the allegations. “I’m personally hurt by this because they’re not true.” 

Mayor Ron Bernal, who had picked Mitchell to fill the last vacancy on the Antioch Police Oversight Commission, suggested delaying the appointment, but the Antioch City Council on Tuesday — led by council member Tamisha Torres-Walker — unanimously appointed Mitchell. 

“As a victim of police violence, it’s important to me that anybody appointed to this commission has a diverse outlook on what community policing means, what police accountability means,” said Torres-Walker. “Thank you for standing up here and saying, ‘We don’t all have the same views on policy, but I’m a good person.’ That’s all I needed to hear.” 

Some of Mitchell’s recent social media posts include: “Nobody cares what kind of sex you (LGBTQ+ people) have. Just don’t tell kids about it;” a post comparing Beyoncé and country singer Lainey Wilson;one about the ongoing attempt to recall Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton; and family and sports posts. 

Mitchell’s recent posts do not include anti-Black or anti-vaccination views as some claimed. 

Older posts during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement and push for police reform show at least a handful of posts that included opposition to the city’s previous attempt at police reform, support for pro-police countermovements, and a video titled “How to not get SHOT by the POLICE,” which compares victims of police shootings to misbehaving children. 

Mitchell and residents did not mention the older police-related posts. 

But in other online comments within the last two years, Mitchell says there is a need for police reform to increase police accountability and public trust. He said the same in his application and comments at the meeting. 

A ‘hit job’

The night before the meeting, Mitchell said an “extremist liberal” had attempted to get a reaction out of him online when commenting on his posts and asking him to withdraw his name from consideration. 

“It was definitely a hit job on me last night,” he said. “I’ve never had any of these confrontations. I work with all types of people.” 

Mitchell said the profile, which lists themselves as “Atheist, Gay Democrat” with “0 tolerance for hate shown by Republicans,” attacked him for being a Christian. The profile includes support for a march for equal rights in Antioch, the ACLU and criticism of Trump. 

Erika Raulston, the daughter of former commissioner Leslie May, was the only speaker who planned to speak in opposition to Mitchell’s appointment. 

“This isn’t just tone deaf; this is the continuation of a pattern protecting power, silencing critics and refusing to center people most hated by policing,” she said. 

Other speakers pushed back against the appointment of Mitchell after hearing criticisms. 

Resident Melissa Case, who said she had volunteered with Mitchell, said she didn’t “see hate” in Mitchell’s posts and that he had only been respectful and decent. 

Torres-Walker and council member Don Freitas said they understood what it was like to be attacked online and have their views or words mischaracterized. 

Mitchell said the situation had left him feeling betrayed by the community. 

“I’m frankly shocked that the audience did not do any homework, drilling down on the stuff to see the context and to go along with he said, she said,” he said, noting his volunteer work across sports, with the unhoused, and others. “It was sickening.” 

‘Race card’ is ‘not going to fly anymore’

Mitchell will take over the last six months of a term previously held by May, who resigned after using the n-word when speaking with city leaders. 

May, a critic of Bernal and Freitas and advocate of police reform, faced accusations of having an anti-police bias. Mitchell was also critical of May ahead of her resignation. 

“We are not going to take it anymore. Playing the race card every time some one disagrees or challenges the old guard is not going to fly any more,” he wrote in February. “The new council is trying to pull the city together.”

Mitchell was referring to previous claims by May and her supporters that Freitas and Bernal were pitting Black people — namely, City Manager Bessie Scott and then-City Attorney Thomas Lloyd Smith — against each other. 

All council members said they were surprised by the accusations against Mitchell. Wilson and Freitas said he had been respectful in interactions with him. 

Bernal proposed pushing the appointment to a future meeting before Torres-Walker’s motion, saying he didn’t do his “due diligence” when nominating Mitchell and not checking his profile. 

Council members said they’ll be watching him closely. 

“Every word you utter, every action you make is going to be scrutinized,” said Freitas. “I pray to God you don’t disappoint us.”