ANTIOCH, Calif. (KERO) — A heated and emotional city hall meeting took place in Antioch after almost half of the city's police department was accused of a racist text messaging scandal.
Many people were heard speaking out of turn during the fiery meeting on Tues, April 18.
"Close down the Antioch Police Department," said one concerned citizen. "Close down all new offices."
Longtime Antioch resident and Army veteran Patricia Granados spoke before the council and joined a protest beforehand. She said that hearing other people's traumatic stories involving the Antioch Police Department reminded her of her first encounter with them.
"It brought me back to being a young, brown 12-year-old," said Granados. "I was going through a trail. It was after school. We were headed to a basketball game and the police came up and pointed his gun at me, pointing it and asking. Looking back, yeah that's kind of scary."
She said that the officer had asked her about a fight that she had nothing to do with.
As far as the newly released racist and hateful text messages, Granados calls the problem "embarrassing."
Meanwhile, Chief Contra Costa County Public Defender Ellen McDonnell called it "pervasive." McDonnell spoke at the meeting, calling for immediate and full disclosure from the police.
The council voted unanimously in favor of three types of audits for the Antioch Police Department, including its internal affairs process and hiring practices.
