The Antioch mayor and police chief agree on one thing, the police department has an issue with culture.
Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe speaks at his home in Antioch, Calif., on April 19, 2023.The mayor and police chief of Antioch, the California city facing an FBI investigation and a lawsuit overby its police officers, agree on one thing - the police department has an issue with culture.
The text messages, reviewed by ABC News, included admissions to civil rights violations and uses of overt violence against citizens. The two police departments and eight of their officers are being investigated by the FBI and DA, according to Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe.Text messages described as being between Antioch police officers from 2019 to 2022 were released on April 13 by the DA in a 21-page report. The DA's office released a 14-page report with more text messages on April 17.
In one of the text messages included in the DA's report, an officer said they would offer a free steak dinner for anyone who would "40" the mayor, allegedly referring to less lethal launchers that shoot rubber bullets or bean bags, according to the DA's report. Thorpe told the resident, "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. You're the problem!"
According to Ford, Antioch's population is currently 52% Black and Brown, whereas 30 years ago the Black and Brown population was around 10%.
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