ANTIOCH — No ingredient of hate or every other crime was present in a police investigation of a social media publish that referred to as for bringing again “hanging” within the “town square” to “fix” Antioch, authorities stated.
Interim Antioch Police Chief Brian Addington stated it was “determined that the elements of a hate crime or any other crime were not met.” The choice to not pursue a legal case in opposition to the person who made the publish got here after session with the Contra Costa District Lawyer’s Workplace.
The investigation started earlier this month after a resident introduced the “hanging” social media publish to the eye of the Metropolis Council and shared screenshots of the publish with police.
Nicole Arrington, who talked about the remark throughout the Aug. 27 council assembly, stated the remarks have been a part of a sample of “vile, racist, and hateful” feedback aimed toward Black members of the council and metropolis employees.
Antioch, a metropolis with 115,000 individuals, has had its fair proportion of racial stress effervescent up for years because the Black inhabitants doubled over the previous 20 years, whereas the White inhabitants has dropped to simply over one-third of the overall residents within the metropolis.
Final yr, the police division turned entangled in a textual content message scandal the place officers used racist, sexist and homophobic language about members of the group, together with Black males officers had violently arrested.
Nearly half of the police division despatched or obtained the messages. Three of those self same officers are charged in an alleged conspiracy to assault Black residents for sport and face trial later this yr.
Councilmember Tamisha Torres-Walker, in an interview, referred to as the “hanging” remark “outrageous” and a reminder of the vitriol that exists locally. Since taking workplace in 2020, the Black councilwoman stated, she has obtained a number of hateful feedback on her social media pages.
Initially Revealed: September 19, 2024 at 2:57 p.m.
