During the end of the Antioch City Council Meeting Tuesday, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe unleashed a rant at residents who have placed he and fellow councilmembers Monica Wilson and Tamisha Torres-Walker together as a trio.
Although Thorpe stated multiple times throughout the night he did not want to defund police as they discussed body cameras, he addressed his fellow councilmembers Wilson and Torres-Walker (editors comment: most likely facetiously) saying “they were thugs who want to defund the police” while calling out an Antioch resident by name for expressing her opinion.
The comment Thorpe responded to was submitted by Jackie Hooke at the 04:32:28 minute mark:
“I am a resident of Antioch and I am concerned about our future. Violence is what we have become known for! Some of our council members are not interested in making Antioch a safe city but rather promote their own agendas.
Tamisha is an uncontrolled problem for Antioch. Her continual attack on our police department, her outrageous manner of speaking, her claims that she and her children are always right proves that she is a person that lacks integrity. She needs to be recalled. This should be easy as she won with a small margin.
Our mayor has no idea how to be a mayor for all of Antioch. His lack of support for the police, his desire to place a homeless facility in a drug zone, his obsession with cannabis shows how narrow minded and willful he is.
Monica who is the district 4 rep does not in any way represent the district I live in. She needs to step up and think for herself and not be the pawn in Lamar’s pocket.
Antioch needs help. We are in serious trouble.
Thank you. Jackie Hooke”
Thorpe opened up his comments at approximately the 5:01:00 minute mark of the meeting after city council future agenda items request:
“I’ll just say to Councilwoman Wilson and Torres-Walker, we are thugs who want to defund the police and I don’t know why people constantly try to tie myself and councilwoman Wilson and Torres-Walker together, I mean I know why but I do want to apologize on behalf of some of the ignorance that we see. I see it. I think you who are strong women and have every right to be on this council.
Councilwoman Wilson was the first African American woman to be elected to the Antioch City Council on her own right. Not because she followed anybody. She earned that, she’s had a voice on this city council and she’s going to continue to have a voice on this city council and too diminish her to the point that she is just some follower is absolutely disgusting, absolutely disgusting.
And disgusting for people like Jackie Hooke, she should be ashamed of herself. I see you, and I see the value you, and I see the value you bring to this council.
And I see your value as well councilmember Torres-Walker. I may not always agree with you, but I see the value that you bring and I see what you are doing for the residents of District 1 and I find it disgusting that people try and tie us together and use words like thugs and people are trying to defund the police. Shame on those folks. With that this meeting is adjourned and have a good night.”
Thorpe then left the meeting and turned off his computer.
City Clerk Ellie Householder stopped the meeting and said they had to call for adjournment just as Councilmember Lori Ogorchock said they had to call for the meeting to end which Householder agreed.
Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson then took control of the meeting after Thorpe and Councilmember Mike Barbanica left the meeting. It was about to adjourn in a 4-1 vote but Barbanica returned after clicking out. The meeting then adjourned in a 4-1 vote with the mayor absent.
Thorpes comments came only hours after he made a statement during the Mayors Comments where he was above the political rhetoric when he addressed the recent spike in shootings and accused some in the community as looking to use it as political touchdowns.
Thorpe stated the council would support the police department in reducing the violence, but was quick to scold those who would take this recent spike in crime and use it as a political touchdown and even attacking the defund the police rhetoric.
Here is the transcript from his Mayors Comments during Tuesday nights council meeting:
“Everybody here is aware of the most recent shooting here in the city and these incidents continue to be unfortunate. We recognize and see that we have had a spike in shootings in recent weeks and I want to let the community know that our police department, our police chief and this council is committed to ensuring our community is safe and we will work towards finding solutions, particularly gun violence solutions.
I’ve now had several conversations with our police chief as it relates to this very topic and I will continue to have conversations with our chief of police and offering whatever it is, assistance this council can do and make. If we need to look at overtime or look at extra funding for crime tips or whatever it may be, we are committed to doing that.
But of course, just like police reform, I want to remind folks, in this recent spike in gun violence there are going to be individuals, I know there are going to be communities that have a general concerns about what is happening, we all share those concerns, but there will be people who will try to politicize these issues just as they have tried to politicize police reform.
I want to make sure our council and our police officers recognize we are above the political rhetoric. We are here to do a job. We are not hear to throw weaponized instances of violence or reform and try and use them to prove a political point or score political touchdowns. That is not what we are here to do.
That is certainly not what I am here to engage in. And some of the misconceptions you will hear out there being promoted by some of the local bloggers are that we are trying to reform, that we are trying to defund the police department. The city council has had no policy around defunding the police department.
They will try to use these statements to say that we are trying to abolish the police department. We have had no policy that suggests that. So, I want the community to be aware we are on top of the things we are seeing and hearing and we are supporting our police department to ensure that our streets are safe but we are not going to play into some of the political rhetoric that people use as weapons to attack other people. That is not right and we are not participating.”
Last week, the Antioch City Council agreed to move forward and explore several Police Reform Items that were brought forward by Thorpe. They were approved during a special meeting which lasted approximently 7-hours (Meeting Recap). On Tuesday, later in the meeting, the Council was set to discuss purchasing body cameras.
Recent Shootings:
- Updated: Two Shot During Drive-By Shooting in Antioch
- Updated: Antioch Police Investigating Saturday Shooting
- UPDATED: Two In Custody After Vehicle Crash, Firearms Recovered in Antioch
- Updated: 18-Year-Old Shows Up at Local Antioch Hospital With Gunshot Wound
- Formal Charges Filed Against Suspect in Discovery Bay Homicide and Antioch Multiple Shooting Suspect
- Antioch: Woman Struck Twice by Gunfire on W 20th Street
- UPDATED: Two Arrested After Armed Robbery and Shooting at Antioch Target
- Discovery Bay: Sheriff’s Office Arrests Homicide Suspect in Multiple Shooting Incident
38 comments
This mayor is really something else and he is either lost his mind or buckling under pressure. Why even make this kind of statement? Why go after a resident for public comments? Many others said worse. Did he feel like picking on a white old lady who cannot defend herself? Thorpe is trying to bad mouth media who doesn’t agree with him, pick on residents who don’t agree with his agenda just like these three have done with the cops.
Keep up the great work ECT and showcasing this guy for what he is DOING by actions, not the color of his skin.
Thorpe should know when to keep his mouth shut and stop bringing unnecessary attention to the City. He is not acting like a leader, but like my 2 year old child who is not getting her way. Mr. Thorpe should apologize to the city, to Jackie and he an ECT need to sit down and has this out and figure out a way to work together because there is too much negativity in Antioch. Thorpe and ECT should find a way to unify the city, not divide it.
Trash headline but Thorpes comments are even worse. Jackies comments were spot on and Thorpe can’t handle the truth that is headed his way.
Clearly, this person does not have the temperament needed to effectively hold public office.
Who voted for this idiot ? Loud mouthed and ignorant. Just like his beloved tamisha.
Trash trash trash.
Thorpe you are not a leader you’re a coward that takes pot shots at citizens that criticize you. How and why do you keep referring to Walker as a council member? She is a convicted felon and is not able to serve. City manager do your job and remove her!! Feel free to call me out by name if it makes you feel better, I can deal with it and won’t get my feelings hurt.
I honestly don’t give a damn how you run Antioch. These idiots who voted for you are quickly realizing that they messed up. You and your “Thugs” you mentioned on your little tantrum are openly anti Antioch Pd. Those in custody deaths are BS and you damn well know it ain’t the fault of the officers but you’re a puppet.
And let’s not forget Tamishkas little rant over her little Angels breaking the law which she openly admitted. How corrupt can y’all be??!! Any other place, she would’ve been terminated on the spot. And you’re here saying she brings great value.
It’s good to see you crack when you know you’re messing up. And on an old lady who has 100% right to voice her concerns. You don’t give a damn about the law abiding. You’re the woke Mayor. A recall is underway bud. 🙂
ECT, can you please provide when Jackie’s comment was made so I can hear it.
Thank you
You see all these white racist comments on here don’t you? Hmmm ?
You see all these white racist comments on here don’t you? Hmmm ? I wonder why????
I’m just about ready to ignore this hillbilly newspaper and the hillbillies who comment on it. That wasn’t a rant. You are just racist hillbillies obviously.
I’m white. I was born here and I’ve lived here many years. I went to Holy Rosary School where Jackie Hooke was a teacher. I used to be a hillbilly. The reason why I don’t share the racist perspective or much else with the longtime Antioch resident is because I left Antioch for a minute and I experienced the world. I became educated. I evolved. You racist residents keep hanging on to the old ways if it makes you feel like something. I’m just about out.
Thorpe, Wilson and the arsonist Torres-Walker must be gotten rid of! One way or another Torres-Walker has absolutely no business being on the City Council. She ran ILLEGALLY. Out with her! NOW! Thorpe and Wilson must go through the recall process! These are nothing but ghetto trash and our city deserves better. With them around, Antioch is going down shit’s creek without a paddle! Our city is now ruined!
@ IT DOSEN’T MATTER and @ MICHAEL KITTERMAN.
Please refrain from YOUR Racist comments. You are racist when you use “White” when referring to people. The “White” people you so refer to are now known as “Caucasian European Americans” like you “Racists” what to be called by a different name. How dare you call people by their skin color. No one had the ability to be born any other color than what they were. Talk about double rhetoric. I can only hope you take up the art of “Suicide” because you don’t belong on this Earth.
Hey Kitterman! I’m not an old resident — just 28 years old — so your diatribe is moot. Good thing you’ll be out of here soon . . and don’t let the door slam your ass! Come to think of it, maybe you can take Lamar Thorpe with you and the arsonist chick as well.
With the exception of the anti white comments; what racist comments have been made on this article?
Hahahaha micheal litter man is probably Thorpe pretending to be someone else, so it appears he has followers. Hi Thorpe ? ?
Actually, I’m surprised that Mayor Thorpe kept it in check as long as he has. He, along with Ms. Wilson and Ms. Torres-Walker, have been subject to some vile comments from people who have no idea what they’re talking about and who ( very) thinly disguise their racism in their comments. I believe the Mayor and the Council members want Antioch to be a city that can be a shining star to people from all walks of life, and the constant criticism is discouraging. We need to give these folks a year, at least, to mold the city into respectability. If after that year it isn’t working out well, THEN we can discuss recall OR prepare to challenge them in the next election. For now, hang in there Mr. Mayor
What a dumb comment, this article was basically a transcription of Thorpes comments at the meeting.
@Belinda Vazquez… there was nothing in the law that prevented her from running. She had every right just like she has every right to serve once elected. What she does with that opportunity is up to her.
Bring back Antioch PD scanner dispatch calls
Dear Michael, or should I say Lamar.
You hate this news venue so much, then get the fuck out. You got plenty of options. Every other news place is woke like you. Thank you ECT. Stay strong against these woke fucks. We, the law abiding, the non woke, the so called “racists”, support you. These days it’s racist to disagree with crime. These dumbfucks have no clue. And that shagga knoffa little terrorist cunt, ignore her. Her section 8 unemployed, living off the same off the same government she hates, probably got rammed by a cop and now she hates them all, just ignore her. Once she finds a job and pays taxes, she’ll look back and think “man was I fucking stupi ?
Excuse me, ECT! There are felons who can run after servicing time depending on their crime. ARSON is not one of them. Even if she served her time and even if the whole case was EXPUNGED, an ARSONIST cannot run for political offices. Check it out with a criminal attorney.
LOVABLE! I’m not disguising anything in my comments! I make them as plain as day so even YOU can get it. You want to give this trio (Thorpe, Wilson, Torres-Walker A YEAR to take this city down? IS THAT WHAT YOU REALLY WANT? I can’t even watch their meetings because seeing the three of them makes me want to barf! What was once a great city has now become a ghetto rat crap sewer and you seem to be supporting it to become even worse. Just how worse do you want it to get? I have talks with the older people in Antioch and it boggles one’s mind to see what has happened to it. Things started going downhill in the mid 1960’s according to them.
From what I have been told Dawn is 100% correct. Seems that the city manager needs to do his job and remove her.
Hey Lamar, you are not a thug. You couldn’t bust a grape in a fruit fight.
Nick P — The City “manager” is just as useless as the city attorney and the so-called mayor and the people of Antioch are suffering because of their ineptitude. What a pity!
Hey there, IT EMATTER! Is that a problem?
Ooops! Keyboard problem: Should say: Hey there, IT DOESN’T MATTER! Is that a problem?
Dawn, I read that Torres-Walker didn’t do any prison time on the arson, she plea bargained and got Diversion. She burned down an apartment building filled with people sleeping to get revenge for being evicted, but a “compassionate judge” sent her to Therapy, not prison. She did spend a little time in jail on other charges before that, but was out on probation when she poured gasoline on the kitchen stove in the apartment she got evicted from. Not sure if arson is even on her record anymore.
LEI, doesn’t matter if it’s on her record now or not. It was on he record and she should have revealed it. Arsonists are not eligible to run for office! Even if their records have been EXPUNGED, it doesn’t make any difference. She didn’t go to “prison” but to JAIL. This woman has no right to run for office or to be elected. SHE LIED! Get her out!
LOVABLECURMUDGEON! Speaking of someone who doesn’t know what they are taking about! You want to give the three (Thorpe, Wilson, Walker) a year to “mold this city into respectability???” Are you insane? You need a hearing aid and new eye-glasses, my friend! As to making “vile” comments about those three, we haven’t even started! The goal of this trio is to take down Antioch and they made no bones about it. Because a lot of people who have had dealing with police moved here, the trio got elected. One of them did it illegally and she should be thrown out! Because of their personal dealings with the police, one of them wanted to get into a position to start destroying this department and the dedicated people who run it. We will NOT let this happen!
Seems like this so-called mayor, the city attorney and the little guy, Ron Bernal, the City Manager who does nothing, are not doing their job! Their job is to remove the Torres-Walker woman off the City Council and this should have been done last November! They also stopped the investigation of her kids endangering drivers and themselves while illegally riding their off road vehicles on our public streets! The probably stopped it because it looked very much like the kids were at fault and Torres-Walker did her foul language number.
Roxanne, we refer to the little guy as “El Chaparrito” You’re right about the THREE AMIGOS not doing their job in removing Tamisha Torres-Walker from the city council. She should not even been allowed to run for the position in the first place. Arsonists are off limits whether they “paid their debt to society” or not. She deliberately set fire to an occupied building and it was sheer luck that a kid woke up at 1 am and saw it all and warned people to get out.
That TRIO is blocking Antioch’s road to recovery after it has been pretty much destroyed by past city councils and their dumb decisions! Thanks to those three, Antioch is falling even further back! Time to recall them!
This is for LOVABLECURMUDGEON! Dear Lovable, You probably voted but you DID NOT pay attention to what these three were running on! This is why I don’t have any faith in your average voter who is NOT informed but makes decisions which affect us all. You’re obviously one of those!
“El Chaparrito?” I LOVE IT! A very apt description! The brain must also be considered a “chaparrito.”
I like the title THE THREE AMIGOS! These are amigos we don’t need.
Those three (Thorpe, Wilson and Walker) are more enemigos than amigos! They made their aim perfectly clear: t destroy Antioch to the point that it is unrecognizable! WE WILL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN no matter how many pastors and others try to defend them. Won’t happen!
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