Antioch residents fed up with crime and violence gathered at City Park Saturday, July 26 to March Against Violence and Drugs.
The March began shortly after 9:00 am where a group of an estimated 60 people started at City Park (A & 10th) and marched 1.5 miles to Victory Outreaches Church Campus down 10th Street.
Mayor Wade Harper spoke prior to the march highlighting his 24-years in law enforcement and in ministry saying he has offered solutions to Antioch Police Chief Allan Cantando.
“We are always talking about law enforcement issues and I will tell him have you considered this, when there was a shooting and one person was killed (in Tracy), this is what we did. When there was an increase in robberies, this is what we did. So I am always talking to him about these things. We are concerned about these things,” explained Harper. “Even before this recent spike, the city council got your help to pass Measure C to hire more police officers. And also, we agreed to hire legacy officers from other agencies so we were trying to get prepared for this. But this isn’t just for today; this is for when she is mayor and generations to come we will have things in place.”
Harper praised Antioch residents for passing Measure C to allow the hiring of more police officers while saying the City Council approved the hiring of additional lateral hires saying the moves were not just about today, but for the future of Antioch.
Harper also explained that just by enforcement, crime will not be reduced, but it’s important that ministries become involved.
“It’s not just enforcement, that is one part of it, but I believe ministries like Pastor Adams has the power to change people’s hearts. You can’t just do everything with enforcement,” said Harper. “He understands we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but principalities.”
Harper also stated that those listening to the police scanners are missing out on the positives of Antioch.
“There are so many wonderful things going on in the city of Antioch. There is only a tiny percentage of people that will commit crime. The majority of people in Antioch are wonderful people that love our community. But if you chase around police scanners, you won’t understand that.”
Mayor Pro Tem Mary Rocha suggested that Antioch be in the prayer messages of all the churches and that people are fed up with crime.
Councilman Tony Tiscareno explained how he has lived in Antioch since 1970 and plans to make it his final resting place because he loves the city.
“I am not going to let the naysayers fear us out of this city. There is a lot of positives. I walk the streets, I have driven around and talked to people and yes they are frustrated and some are angry, but they love their city and as much as they are frustrated they want to participate.”
Tiscareno praised the block captains and neighborhood watch groups and folks who clean parks and volunteer.
“We need to help them out and be responsible and volunteer to help out. We need to not be part of the problem, but part of the solution,” said Tiscareno. “We need to continue to do so and I plan on being there whether I am part of the council or not because this my life and home.”
He encouraged responsible citizens to work with the police department and community to participate.
“I made a career for marching for human rights, for workers right. This is our right here to be free and safe and I will walk with you,” said Tiscareno.
After the march, Victory Outreach Antioch held a “Rally Against Violence and Drugs” from 11 am to 3 pm at their campus which included a BBQ, face painting, a basketball tournament and other activities.
21 comments
Just so I understand, Wade Harper is turning to the churches. Mary Rocha says Antioch needs more prayers and the new guy who was appointed is the only one who seems to have some heart behind his words. Got it.
Mayor Harper you are coming off very arrogant here. Measure C did not do what it was supposed to do and I believe according to Captain Orman the police department has a net gain of just 4 officers since January 2013.
I would hope you speak to your chief often due to the crime but you offered no substance other than being vague about solutions. I love my police scanner because I actually know what is going on. Do I listen to it all day? No, but I do listen often and it’s the only way to get information since the police department and city council do not provide it all. Even ECT does not provide info on all calls.
I will continue to listen to my scanner instead of listening to the Mayor babble on about nothing and continue to have his head in the sand when it comes to crime and solutions.
The fact the mayor says you can’t reduce crime by enforcement shows he is lost. Of course more cops on the ground would help prevent crime and arrest more people. You use churches and community programs as
This should be the final draw, Harper needs to go and be recalled. I agree with Mary Rocha, Antioch does need a lot of prayers under his leadership.
These comments coming from the Mayor are unbelievable!
I actually feel really bad for you folks in Antioch with comments like these coming from your mayor. It’s not that complicated, zero tolerance will have an impact on crime.
Mayor Haper I disagree, police scanners ensure people know what is going on.
Speaking like a true Politian, what you won’t know won’t hurt you. I like my guns, beer, and scanner. Screw you Mayor Harper. You think faith is going to reduce crime, you are only fooling yourself. Just like a
Warning… nearly crossing the line Rick.
The Mayor apparently wants to put blame elsewhere other than the city councils own failure to reduce crime. Shame on him. The only blame here is the councils failures.
If it’s a small percentage of people committing crime, why is the scanner busy 24/7? Get your head out of your butt Mr. Mayor. No matter how the numbers are sliced and diced one listening to the scanner knows police are going from call to call to call to call all day long. Maybe you should begin turning on the scanner so you have a better understanding of crime and what types of calls our police department are responding to. I really hope this council can make some changes but I have lost faith.
Most people understand the first step in solving a problem is to recognize it and understand it. More folks listening to scanners (and the news media reporting on it) is the first step for us to recognize it and understand it. The reported statistics that indicate that some crime is down may be accurate BUT that doesn’t mean it is acceptable. Just because yesterday I didn’t know that all those crimes were being committed doesn’t mean today when I find out I am not outraged and inspired to call out my representatives.
If the mayor’s solution to this is for us to put our heads BACK in the sand and to go pray I am not impressed. He and the council had an opportunity, the citizens gave the council a gift in Measure C. Had they taken that gift and used it to it’s maximum by using it all in addition to the previous police budget they would not be in this situation (as far as mistrust and lack of confidence in their leadership).
I am not against prayer, as I believe that it brings people together. I believe gatherings like yesterday do the same thing. But please Mr Mayor don’t confuse those things with ACTION. Nor are calls to the Police Chief. While I am sure Mr Harper’s experience as a police officer in Tracy gives him some understanding, it is way different to be a foot soldier than the officer leading the troops. Mr Harper should not be advising the Chief but asking him what he needs AND giving it to him. I hope the Mayor isn’t so arrogant to think he knows more than the Chief.
This problem didn’t happen over night and it won’t be solved over night. The first step, though, is to recognize the problem and understand it and then DO SOMETHING!!!!!!!
Did anyone on this thread take the time to attend the “coffee with cops” last Thursday evening at the Antioch Community Center. There was a ton of great info shared by Captain Brooks.
Yes since 2013 we have net of 4 new officers. Antioch has hired at least 24 new officers. They have had 15 officers retire, injuries, personal leave, etc…..
Some people have no idea what it takes to hire law enforcement. Not just in Antioch, but anywhere in the country it takes a minimum of 5-6 months to go through the hiring process.
Do you people just want boots on the ground or would you rather have QUALIFIED boots on the ground? Think about it.
This mayor cannot be serious? I appreciate this page and the facebook page because it educates me on what is going on around me whether I like it or not. Turning it off turns me into a drone. Sorry Mr. Mayor, you will no longer have my vote or support. Tony Tiscareno at least cares. I can still support him at this point in time.
You know we did this years ago. Marched ,turned out at council meeting, helped make plans and worked very closely with the APD.Sorry to say crime is still at a all time high. I am hoping you get more officers to help. That is the key., I am sad that APD has hired 24 and 15 have retired or are on leave. They just cants seem to get ahead. I think the Chief is doing a good job as usual but it seems so much more is needed. Sorry to say we did leave after 14 years as when is started to get bad it seemed each year it was getting worse. I am hoping the the citizens keep demanding more and it really does take a village.
Religion and politics are how wars get started. Nice work Antioch Politicians you people always know how to solve an issue. What a bunch of egotistical crooks using religion! Shame all of them. Nice strategy. I’m sure this will work for a percentage of citizens that buy in to this none sense, but it’s just a way to drum up support. This council has done a terrific job at trying to emulate a Washington con job. To bad they are just a bunch of small town yee haws.
If this is how most of the hiring of new officers in Antioch get handle, it’s going to be a looong process to get more officers on our streets.
My son has a college degree in Criminal Justice, paid his way for the Police Academy, graduated in the top three of his academy class. He then applied at the APD, because he was raised and currently lives in Antioch, only to be told that they were not hiring and that they would keep his application on file. They have never called him back to this very day. Disappointing for my son but relieve for me!
We moved here three years ago and loved living here. But now I am not sure if we did the right desection. Where we live I feel safe and hoping to god it will stay safe untill we could afford to move out of here too ,bad for us regular resident who wants to live in peace and no crimes .
Jim, I know you mean well. But the solution does not lie within a constantly ramping of enforcement. Not by itself. All that leads to is full jails. Keep in mind, it costs $50k minimum per year to house a prisoner in the detention system. The taxpayers are on the hook for that. A problem we have right now is a system full of non-violent drug criminals which clog up the criminal justice system.
More emphasis needs to be put on prevention and societal intervention to give people options for better outcomes.
The old saying, desperate people do desperate things. When society, through economic or government policy, reduces opportunity, it leads to bad outcomes. Particularly if that policy has any racial bias, which I could make a strong argument does exist.
We still have a weak economic recovery where there are more job seekers than there are jobs. You can draw direct and strong correlation between crime rates and the state of the economy. It doesn’t take a visionary to see that.
Here’s a paper that you should read if you have the time. It offers some proactive ideas which could and indeed have led to better outcomes for other communities.
http://www.popcenter.org/library/reading/pdfs/mayorsguide.pdf
You cannot simply point to the Measure C issue and use it as a crutch. It is my understanding there are open billets which haven’t been filled. Funding is only half the equation. You have to have people willing to apply for the positions. When you have people advocating for strangling the government by cutting pay and benefits, people will look elsewhere. San Jose is learning this the hard way and is down more than 20% in their head count in just a couple years as a result. Anti-tax groups sold the voters on the idea you could arbitrarily go after public safety compensation and you can see for yourself the outcome. If you follow the news, you’ll see crime has spiked there as a result.
The point being Antioch is not a special case or deviating from cause and effect that others have already seen.
Enforcement is a necessary component. Valuing public safety as a mindset and with policy is another. But they are not the be all, end all solution for this frustrating crime problem.
You have an excellent alternative path on display in Pittsburg. Look at what their downtown redevelopment has done for the quality of life and image. Now look at the vacant storefront problem of downtown Antioch. Blight is a major contributing factor. Antioch could benefit, IMO, from a massive redevelopment and renewal of both commercial and neighborhood areas. That is a massive undertaking that will require substantial capital, which realistically is going to require courting of outside sources to make it happen.
The answers are out there, but they will take work and years of commitment before they pay dividends.
Caring. I’m sorry but if that is what happened then your son is not what APD is wanting at this time. Please do not take that wrong and tell him not to get discouraged. Police testing is a funny thing. There is a lot that goes into the testing process and sometimes it is not meant to be. This may be a blessing and your son may not be ready for APD at this time. There are many other agencies hiring that may be a better fit. Don’t be discouraged, as APD wants to hire everybody they can and sometimes people don’t fit that mold. I always say when people complain about family members not being hired that APD may have saved their lives by not hiring them. Good luck to you and your son
We need to get rid of this worthless mayor and get in an educated WHITE mayor who actually is gonna clean up our streets and not just be a dumb monkey in fancy suits.
This mayor stated no solutions. He is a politician making a statement with no actual answer to the problem he is addressing. Honestly it feels like the republican presidential candidates plan. This mayor is weak, and desperately pulled the “church” card as a moral/spiritual solution to the rising crime in Antioch. We moved here in the early 90’s, to what was called the “New Antioch”, coming from the city, this place seemed like it came out of a Brady Bunch episode. Kids playing in the parks, in the streets, all day and all night. Leaving out bicycles out on our drive ways without fear of having them stolen…the freaking ice cream truck coming everyday in the summer (AWESOME). No fear of being bulled or harassed when walking through the neighborhoods up and down Hill Crest Ave. Ever since we have a influx of people from the inner cities coming out here to rent a home with a government voucher our lovely city has gone to hell. These new residents bringing with them their unruly children who are used to behaving in a different manner in one city come to destroy the small town community appeal that Antioch once had.
The Sycamore area has always been bad, and Antioch just North of the Freeway, has never been the most beautiful place, but it still had its small town appeal. Now it’s full of homeless people, drug addicts, drunks, and even prostitutes. While the “old” Antioch had crime due to it’s bars. The “new” Antioch is known for it’s violent crimes due to the new relocated youth. Whose parents are never held accountable.
They will pull every card they can. It’s part of their behavior. Can’t queef out any answer or solution? Pull out a card. It’s the easiest thing to do and puts the blame somewhere else.
@Where did Antioch go wrong????? Thank you for your comment and trying to defend how APD does their hiring. However, my son never got the chance to interview, let alone speak to anyone. How do YOU know that he is not a good fit if not given the chance, you can’t judge people on their application only. As a parent, I’m glad he doesn’t work for APD or any other agency!!!
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