Your Honorable Mayor and City Council members:
I write to you to implore you to take immediate action regarding the violence in the City of Antioch. No doubt you are aware of the problems being dealt with by the Antioch Police Department on a daily basis. I also realize that they have enlisted the assistance of various law enforcement agencies in carrying out an aggressive effort to rid our city of criminals. In part, this has been successful and the numbers associated with these efforts has been significant. However, common logic dictates that the “tiny percentage” that you point out Mr. Mayor has either grossly underestimated or we happen to have acquired the worst-shooting, yet smartest criminals in the world since they have continuously been capable of holding this community hostage, burglarized all hours of the day/night, stopped traffic and brought business down to their knees at Deer Valley Plaza and changed the shopping habits of consumers at the same time.
Today again, another afternoon of insanity at Deer Valley Plaza. Yesterday was even worse, the crowd number around 100. Today it was smaller groups and Taco Bell and McDonald’s have shut their dining room for 1.5 to 2 hours after school let’s out. There was a significant police presence at DVHS and the area surrounding it. Of course there were fights at Deer Valley High School (tennis courts and parking lot), Deer Valley Plaza (Baskin-Robbins, etc.), across Lone Tree from the Chevron station, Burger King, as well as Country Hills & Hillcrest.
These types of incidents have a detrimental, far-reaching effect on the businesses, customers, traffic, reputation of the City, etc. If the businesses feel compelled for the safety of their personnel and premises, which Taco Bell and McDonald’s have both done, that is a loss of revenue to the business, that equates to the loss of revenue to the City of Antioch. The bad reputation has a direct effect on the housing prices and an unwillingness to move to a city that is the 4th worst city in the San Francisco Bay Area to live in. At this rate, more businesses will limit availability and even more businesses will end up closing. More revenues will be lost.
Almost daily we are allocating much-needed resources to an activity that should have been handled by parents a very long time ago. There is a complete lack of respect for the business owners and consumers, there is no respect for the people driving in the area. There is no respect even for the people themselves, the ones who who are creating the problems.
This problem extends far beyond Deer Valley Plaza. Daily you have the Antioch Police Department responding to 459 residential burglaries by juveniles, stolen vehicles by juveniles, armed robberies by juveniles. This list goes on and on. The same types of incidents include the young adult age group as well as adults. The calls for service is increasing on a weekly basis. We are now unaffectionate known as Grand Theft Antioch! Not too mention other no so flattering names.
Mr. Mayor, you reminded me that when you took on the position it wasn’t a full time job. That is quite apparent. However, part-time means less than full-time but it also entails having to get a job done at all costs. If not – GET OUT! You ran on a platform of, “zero tolerance”. You have been MIA when it came to addressing the violence and crime in the City until the people started yelling loud enough for you to realize something must be done. You did the Victory Outreach walk and then there was United Antioch on August 16th. Hello, is that it? Do you really believe you have supported and continue to support the Antioch Police Department? If you can honestly say yes then you have a transparency issue because nobody else is seeing it. If not – GET OUT!
Your leadership has a direct effect on the City Council. You action or inaction has a direct effect on the City Council. If you are hell bent about some feral cats and don’t appear to give a damn about the crime and violence in the city, well that is wrong – very wrong. I have pity for the feral cats but I have a tendency of cherishing human life more. Since you took office, again on the “zero tolerance” platform, how many people have died and how many shootings has there been? But feral cats were so important. Prove me wrong or GET OUT!
You and your hand picked City Manager tried to ramrod the Downtown East Transit Oriented Residential Development project through when you had gained even more control over the City Council and fortunately Mary Rocha delayed that, however, who could foresee the date changed to the end of October, just in time to have the new City Council vote on it. She did try, but it was evident you wanted to wait even longer. Transparency is one thing, but when your hand picked City Manager can’t even give one example of the three other city owned properties to potentially be used for the new Senior Center – AFTER BEING ASKED THREE TIMES, then that was truly transparent – we saw right through that sham. Actually, we didn’t we never got the answer on whether it would be Senior Center AND Community Center.
Let’s not be distracted by the City-Owned Restaurant Space. That too is another revenue producer that won’t do much good if people won’t put a foot inside the Antioch city limits. The priorities are all screwed up. Not that we should not be mindful of the ETORD Project or the CORS Project – we should. But is was obvious feral cats were more important than crime and violence. Now it’s two projects that are more important than crime and violence. When will THE important issue be addressed in a timely manner, that would be crime and violence? Address it, or GET OUT.
I have, on no less than 5 occasions demanded action in the form of emergency ordinances, declaring a state of emergency, get the reserves in here if necessary. It appears you will not take any action and we deserve better. We deserve to be heard. We deserve to know what actions you are planning to do. If we end up having to file bankruptcy due to your incompetence and inaction, trust me there will be repercussions.
A recall election is a long drawn out process. However, if that’s what it take, so be it.
Respectfully submitted,
Rich Buongiorno
90 comments
Thank you Mr. Buongiorno. Very well said.
Thank you Julio
Well said
I think it would have been more powerful without the grammatical errors. Normally I wouldn’t care or even comment on them but if you’re asking somebody to resign, it should be error free.
I’m glad somebody else noticed! If you’re addressing the mayor your first sentence probably should omit typos and the rest of the letter should be grammatically correct. That was hard to read. A lot of accusations without specific examples.
Attend your city council meetings people! That’s how you will get change!
I doubt anyone cares but yourself! At least he spoke up!
I didn’t want to be the one to point that out. So thank you. Spell check and proof reading are wonderful tools. Good letter nonetheless. Thank you Mr. B.
So all you grammar police can do is pick apart his grammar and spelling…. really?! I think the people that analyzed his grammar and spelling work for the mayor. Therefore, I decided to analyze their grammar and spelling, tit for tat.
[Paragraph end]
Tiffani: Although verb contractions may be used informally, substitute the full form of the verb phrase for a more traditional or formal tone. Also although a preposition at the end of a sentence may be used informally, consider deleting or repositioning the preposition for a more formal or traditional tone
[Paragraph end]
Melissa: Same issues as Tiffani AND you need a Comma after ARE and MAYOR. To make your sentence easier to read or to signal a pause, consider using a comma to set off words or phrases (especially introductory words or phrases). Although “a lot of” or “lots of” may be used informally, substitute “many” or “much” for a more formal or traditional tone. “Many accusations without specific examples.” Is a Fragment sentence
[Paragraph end]
CaptainKlutz: Same issues as Tiffani
Insert applause here
Bravo! BEST reply of the night!
Regardless, you have to admit that the effect is lessened by the lack of proper grammar. Not to mention the fact that they would have almost all been caught with spell check/ a proper read through. I don’t think people are being grammar nazis so much as they are just disappointed that his letter may not be taken as seriously due to those errors.
I completely agree, and add spelling issues to the list. In a letter to be as public as this, it’s important to use proper grammar and spelling, because otherwise you lose credibility. Though I am in complete agreement with the sentiment of the letter, I found that the glaring errors made it tough to read.
Thank you Mr. Buongiorno! I am tired of feeling like a hostage in my own city because of KIDS! The City needs to do SOMETHING. Be PRESENT! PLEASE!
I fully intend to be. Thank you Michelle
Thank you for intelligently addressing the important issues! I pray they get a new mayor soon.
Lets not forget mello roos that is paid to improve our schools and keep our streets clean. We as homeowners are forced to pay for the bussed in kids to have a nice updated High School to destroy as they did their own. Why did we get stuck with the bill? I also am furious my children are stuck going to school with a tough group of ghetto kids. We bought here in Antioch 16 years ago because it was NEW clean and quiet. Well now we are anything but clean or quiet. We were sold out. Our counsel members need to research and live in the HELLS they have forced us to live in. Put their children in our schools and be forced to pay that nice extra taxes for the great city we live in.
Almost every neighborhood has been hit with grow houses as well. Is there anywhere sacred? We are raising our kids here.
I agree get out the traders and get in to office some of the people that care about our community. I have had it with this crime ridden area. I will do my part to help.
Kudos to you Sir, for speaking out, we’ve had enough!!!!! Mr.Mayor your days have not been memorable…we voted you in and now we can vote you out…I voted for you because of you “No tollerance” stance, which now seems like all smoke and mirrors. We need someone tough and willing to make tough decisions, apparently that is not you. Stop hiding behind your hard working Chief of Police and leave Antioch for good..Lord knows you have not done any good for this city! Better yet, admit your failures and resign!!!!
Thank you Mr. Buongiorno. My family moved to Antioch 44 years ago to escape the violence in Richmond, CA. It now seems that Richmond may be doing a bit better than Antioch. I now refer to Antioch as Little Oakland. I also believe if the social media would not post these videos, it may deter the actions of these kids so they won’t have their 15 seconds of fame or shame as I would call it.
Maybe he will listen to you Rich! My voice has fallen on deaf ears! He is now total MIA!
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the people responsible for the thugs coming into antioch is the Housing Authority. I know for a fact that in San Francisco they went around handing out certificates to the 2nd street gang to move out of SF and out to Antioch. There were mass killings going on in the city of SF so they decided to move the gang members out to Antioch. Richmond also did the same thing. They started handing out Section 8 certificates to people if they would leave the city. Richmond was sending them either to Antioch, Fairfield or somewhere other than Richmond. If you really want to go after the people responsible for the uprising in crime, then go after the Housing Authority. I heard this first hand from a Sergeant of the Police Department. If you want to help get rid of them, when they do something wrong, then call the Housing Authority and have them kicked out, and their Section 8 taken away. That will really help combat the problem you are seeing in Antioch. If the Police show up, then call the Housing Authority, or have the Antioch PD call them. That will be the fastest way to get rid of the thugs in Antioch. Start a neighborhood watch program. You can get a lot of ideas from Oakland PD. They have a lot more suggestions of how you can help combat this as citizens as well. Take back your city Antioch residents!! Help get rid of them. Start neighborhood watch, get cameras for your homes so the police can have the video of them. Don’t wait for others to do everything for you, step up and help combat them through the neighborhood watch. We have virtually no crime in our area now that we have started what you call nextdoor site. Nextdoor.com can unite your neighborhoods together by alerting each other of suspicious people in the neighborhood, as well as many other things this site is valuable for. We did that in our neighborhood, and it has been months since we have heard of anyone breaking in any of our homes. Cameras are a real deterent. Posted signs of you are on camera will deter any criminal, because they know they are being videoed in the neighborhood. It has been proven as effective in two cities recently. Just try this and see what happens. You will be amazed. I am amazed for my own neighborhood. It really works.
Annette,
I am not critiquing what you said or correcting anything except for one thing, paragraphs. It makes is sooooo much easier to read that way. Otherwise, it looks like a wall of text.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the people responsible for the thugs coming into Antioch is the Housing Authority.
I know for a fact that in San Francisco they went around handing out certificates to the 2nd street gang to move out of SF and out to Antioch. There were mass killings going on in the city of SF so they decided to move the gang members out to Antioch.
Richmond also did the same thing. They started handing out Section 8 certificates to people if they would leave the city. Richmond was sending them either to Antioch, Fairfield or somewhere other than Richmond.
If you really want to go after the people responsible for the uprising in crime, then go after the Housing Authority.
I heard this first hand from a Sergeant of the Police Department. If you want to help get rid of them, when they do something wrong, then call the Housing Authority and have them kicked out, and their Section 8 taken away. That will really help combat the problem you are seeing in Antioch. If the Police show up, then call the Housing Authority, or have the Antioch PD call them. That will be the fastest way to get rid of the thugs in Antioch.
Start a neighborhood watch program. You can get a lot of ideas from Oakland PD. They have a lot more suggestions of how you can help combat this as citizens as well. Take back your city Antioch residents!! Help get rid of them. Start neighborhood watch; get cameras for your homes so the police can have the video of them. Don’t wait for others to do everything for you, step up, and help combat them through the neighborhood watch.
We have virtually no crime in our area now that we have started what you call nextdoor.com site. Nextdoor.com can unite your neighborhoods together by alerting each other of suspicious people in the neighborhood, as well as many other things this site is valuable for.
We did that in our neighborhood, and it has been months since we have heard of anyone breaking in any of our homes. Cameras are a real deterrent. Posted signs of you are on camera will deter any criminal, because they know they are being videoed in the neighborhood. It has been proven as effective in two cities recently. Just try this and see what happens. You will be amazed. I am amazed for my own neighborhood. It really works.
Thank you for editing my reply.
Exactly smartest thing I’ve read in this thread
I called the housing authority, that was a joke!
Start nieghborhood watch, and when they break the law, call housing authority to have their Section 8 revoked. Get cameras for your homes. These things really work.
The reason for the rise in violence is because of the Housing Authority handing out section 8 certificates to the 2nd street gang in SF on the condition they move to Antioch. Also Richmond just did the same thing with their violent residents. They gave them section 8 to move to Antioch, Fairfield, or somewhere else. That is why Richmond is now safer than Antioch. Just a bit of information I got from my hubby who works for the City and County of SF, and a Sergeant of the police force. Just thought I would share the information.
Interesting. This would make an interesting story for the media. Section 8 requires a long waiting and screening process. I believe (but I could be wrong) one key requirement is no convicted felons on that program. To shortcut that process for people that may really need it to ship criminals somewhere else sounds completely illegal and at the very least, unethical. I also talked to a prominent business leader in Antioch about the old hotel on 10th street taking regularly taking housing vouchers for parolees to reside there.
Big Dave. Sounds like you are doing the right things to raise your son in a responsible manner. Keep guiding him accordingly and he should be okay.
My sons lived in Antioch from the time they were 6 & 12, respectively, until they left for college and their issues were with a a few teachers who believe that they were inferior simply because they were black. Wish you could seen the expression on their faces when I informed both had graduated from DV with honors. My wife and I didn’t cry racism. They esteemed themselves by hard work and maximum effort. The same can be accomplished by others if they want it bad enough.
Annette, Section 8 or Contra Costa County Housing Authority does nothing with your complaints. They are ineffective, out of control and support “their clients” instead of the taxpayers who pay their salaries. We need to clean house there too.
Hi Marty:
Sad to see that the problems & battles with Section 8 continues. I guess it’s true what they say “some things never change.”
As a group we knew how to rattle the cage of politicians and force the Antioch city council to listen and act on behalf of law-abiding citizens. From what I have read on this forum these folks are all bark and no bite!
Good luck my friend and stay safe.
This man represents the City of Antioch. And he speaks up. Yes, with grammatical errors, but he SPEAKS UP and DELIVERS HIS MESSAGE. People making comments about his grammatical errors – why don’t you write it better. A few grammatical errors make you go off track so easily. I hope you can see past that and notice his message. Good message.
Very well said. I think it’s about time we have a major recall and clean house at the Mayor’s level and at the same time the City Council. The people of Antioch deserve a better Mayor and City Council.
While they were all fighting at Deer Valley yesterday newly appointed Lieutenant Morefield was eliminating a very nice structure meant to be used to feed the cats down by the river…as you said feral cats seem to be more important than taking care of crime. Your letter eas very well stated.
For those of you who practice “political correctness” and thought you were doing Antioch a favor by electing a clone of Barack Obama, you got exactly what you wanted. A useless individual with no backbone. This is what happens when you vote for people with blinders on. What significant action or accomplishment did Wade Harper contribute to the city as a member of school board? Absolutely nothing!!!!
It just cracks me up that some of you really believed that Wade Harper was the best choice to be Mayor of Antioch.
Think about it, the vast majority of crimes committed in Antioch are done by young black men.
Did you really think Wade Harper would turn his back on the black community and the NAACP by acknowledging that black youth are out of control in Antioch? Let me help you out, there is no way in hell Mayor Harper will EVER demand the black parents take responsibility for their children. Never gonna happen because he does not want to be called a sellout to white folks or a Uncle Tom!
You want to see things change for the better in Antioch, elect a Mayor with a backbone and a willingness to hold ALL individuals accountable for their actions.
To make this a BLACK thing is incredible! You ought be ashamed of yourself. Race doesn’t play a factor here at all. I’m a 23 yr old black woman, and I can’t stand when black children are targeted. All these children are that… Children. It is not the mayors responsibility to teach children how to act. We need to be held accountable for how we train and raise our children. Stop placing blame and being prejudice. This is bigger than the tones of our skin color! Take off the blinders and see the big picture.
Tiela. I raised two young black men in Antioch both of them college graduates with one now serving in the US Army. This is in fact a black issue since the main perpetrators of crime in Antioch ARE young black men. Does this apply to all blacks, of course not, but don’t bury your head in the sand. It is what it is young lady. Antioch has been overrun by black thugs and the only remedy is to put as many of them behind bars as you can as fast as you can and KEEP them there.
Don’t waste your time thinking that your Mayor will vigorously confront this problem because he will NEVER, EVER speak the truth about the black thugs terrorizing Antioch.
@Wake Up People
Thank you for the excellent and truthful post. Congrats on raising your kids right. We need more people like you to speak up and call out the truth and facts about the issues we face.
Again, thanks for being truthful.
You make the point that the majority of crime in Antioch is caused by young black men, I can’t disagree with that. But as a white man raising bi-racial kids here, it scares the crap out of me that my teenage son is automatically a target for law enforcement, and other outspoken citizens on this board, just because of how he looks. He is a great kid with straight A’s, plays several sports, plays piano, Boy Scouts, active in the community, goes to church every Sunday and KEEPS HIS PANTS PULLED UP ALL THE TIME. 🙂
But as soon as he decides he might want to wear his hair a little longer or is just walking to the movies, guys just like you will look at him and say, “look there’s another damn thug,” when he is the first kid that will run toward someone that needs help. You just can’t start a campaign against young black men because it will undoubtedly turn into something else. It isn’t a question of political correctness, It is just plain right vs wrong.
I’m all for bringing in more police (yes I voted for Measure C) CCW and responsible gun ownership. I’m all for throwing the book at the bad guys. If the bad guys happen to be black, white, brown…whatever….round em up and lock em down with a punishment that fits the crime. I fully support our men in blue.
There is really no reason to call color here. We all know what’s going on around here, but whoa be it to the person that targets or judges my son for how he looks instead of what he does. But that is exactly what your comment is setting the stage for. Young black crime is just a symptom of a far bigger problem; fatherless unsupervised, entitled kids that start out great like all kids but have no direction.
Give us some ideas for curing the disease, not just dealing with a symptom (crime) and hiding under the covers. I don’t have the answers or I would have suggested them a long time ago but I do know that there are ways to get involved which I, guiltily, have not pursued. Like being a big brother/mentor, getting involved at the young men’s/women’s clubs, being a coach, helping young women to respect themselves enough not to lay down with every good looking smooth talking guy they meet. There are lots of ways to get involved in young men’s and women’s lives and inspire and encourage them. What are you doing besides pointing the finger and telling us what a great job you did with your kids? I am being a huge hypocrite here as I have certainly not done enough.
Yes a lot of the crime is committed by young black men. But by making a huge point of this all you are doing is perpetuating the stigma of being black in this country in the eyes of white folks. It is a damn shame that people will see my son in a few years and men will look and wonder if he is one of the bad ones and the ladies will clutch their purses tighter and hope he goes away. This response is what comments like yours create.
…and as a father, I applaud you for raising two responsible young men and appreciate your son’s service in the Army.
… I also want to see my Measure C funds rounding up the garbage in this town and sending it away for good. But I fear for only temporary relief unless we solve the bigger issues.
Sorry for my rambling and I really am not trying to attack you personally. I am just terrified by the world my son is getting thrust into as he is getting ready to leave the enclave of his nice private christian school and is forced to endure the harsh reality of DVHS and beyond.
Tell me what shopping center the white kids are shutting down two hours a day. Where is it?
Well said
We have a Winner! You have won the “Blame Everything on Obama” game. Every comment section on the internet since 2009 has had one, and you were the first here.
Worst President this country has ever produced but yet you are just another out of touch liberal that kneels at the altar of Obama. Big surprise!!!!!
My guess is you will be the first to volunteer for the Wade Harper re-election campaign.
A bit of reality: The vast majority of blacks vote for a black candidate simply because of the color of his skin regardless of his experience or suitability for office. Most liberal whites vote for a black candidate to feel better about themselves or out of “white guilt”. Both reasons are silly.
Wade Harper should have never been elected Mayor because he lacked the experience and was/is not qualified to manage one of the largest cities in East County. How do I know this? Look around.
Most black voters are nothing more than puppets on a string! They vote for who promises them the most free stuff. Very few ever familiarize themselves with the issues or consider the pros & cons of individuals requesting their vote.
Antioch is the laughing stock of the Bay Area. Until their is a rebellion by thousands of fed up citizens who are willing to elect individuals who are not afraid to engage the criminal element and their hoodrat relatives, keep dreaming that Antioch will get better.
Sorry, your generalizations are just plain wrong. I voted against GWBush twice because it was necessary. I voted against Mitt Romney because my lack of religion makes it imperative that I not vote for somebody who believes in magic underwear. No guilt or race favoritism involved in either case.
I had hopes for Obama but between the Republican refusal to compromise and what I see as a bunch of stupid moves (including not getting out of the middle east entirely several year ago) those have been almost completely dashed.
A serious question in return: Is Mayor that much more powerful than the other council members? Usually it’s a figure-head position and the rest of the council should bear a lot of responsibility as well.
The point of the message is neither made nor broken with grammar. This message has heart and, I believe, accurately matches the sentiments of most of the voters. I want the Mayor out. I want the council out. They’re banking on none of us being smart enough to file recall paperwork.
It is time that the people of Antioch go to their local Sheriff and demand that they allow CCW permits back in Contra Costa County. It is time that the citizens can defend their selfs against the criminals. This is the exact reason we moved after living in Antioch for over 30 years.
That was very well.said and I don’t live in antioch but would support antioch anyway I could.
Mayor of Antioch put an end to it or get out of office! I do not give a dammmmm about some feral cats! Well written Mr.Buongiorno!
A bottom up approach is needed in Antioch. Shooters are a problem, but shoplifting, robberies, burglaries, and jaywalking are also. We need to stop the scum before they become shooters.
The other day I saw a strange acting person walking on Putnam near Gentrytown. The guy was up to something, at the very least he was drunk in public. I watched him as he J-walks directly in front of an APD cruiser. Did the cruiser stop? NO. Why didn’t the cop stop? Why he didn’t is the basis of our problem here in Antioch. The APD cruiser was traveling the speed limit and appeared to be patrolling the area, he was not responding to a high priority call. I watched in amazement as the cop passed by this person breaking the law directly in front of his cruiser. I know that J-walking is a minor violation, but this guy was obviously drunk (2nd law broken) and should have been contacted for his own safety. Who knows, this guy could have a warrant, or a suspect in another higher priority crime. Even if he was sober, and clean as a whistle, the stop could be an example of community policing.
Another item that needs city addressing is the retailers that turn a blind eye to shoplifting. The 99¢ Store should be fined for setting up their store in a manner that makes me feel like a chump for paying for my purchases. Fresh & Easy is another example where they don’t give a crap about shoplifting. I’ve seen several groups of adults walk out with carts of beef without a care. These stores make it easy to steal and they need to be stopped.
Ignoring misdemeanors is not what the ADP should be doing now.
J-walkers and shoplifting.
You should pay more attention or do a little more research before you open your mouth. Go out on a ride along and you will see why that cruiser did not stop and deal with your interpretation of breaking the law. Better yet, put your ass through the academy and try to get hired and start policing this city. You and most people on this sitehave no idea what APD does on a daily basis. You can only do so much policing in one day.
What happened to the neighborhood watch program? Is anyone on this forum a part of the Neighborhood watch? You can do something too.
DO
paragraphs work on here?
Awesome letter. I agree 100% I grew up here in Antioch, back in the 70’s. this city is out of control someone please take over and start doing what’s nessasary to make this town a place to call home again!
Thank you Mr. Buongiorno. Very well said.
I’ve lived in Antioch,Ca from Los Angeles, Ca. And I’m more afraid in Antioch then I was in LA…. It’s crazy… Even the middle school Dallas Ranch is out of hand….
I have worked in Antioch for 12 years; however, I avoid bringing my family to dine, shop or be educated in Antioch. I hope the city council members in my city, Oakley, are watching and noting the mistakes the leadership in Antioch made so they don’t make the same. I’m sure I’m not the only East County resident who feels this way. Proprietors and real estate agents must have a tough sell.
Mr. Buongiorno
Can you run for Mayor? Please!!!!!!
Or at least the city council!!! I Love how you think!
I appreciate you writing this letter and publishing it in the Herald and ECT, Mr. Rich Buongiorno. So many of us are thinking the exact same thing about the mayor and council. In my opinion, it seems that they are all hiding behind their desks. They simply do not care and or have no idea how to do their jobs!
Very good comment J Walker. Just like Dad did when we were young. Stop us from getting too far into the wrong before it was too late. Maybe a few loitering tickets to let them know your watching.
Too late Kevin
I like the idea of getting the media involved in researching/reporting on the issue of Section 8 certificates being handed out to gangs in SF, Richmond and other places to relocate in Antioch. I believe if this was documented there would be grounds for a lawsuit by the city of Antioch for federal compensation. The citizenry of Antioch should not have to foot the bill for the consequences of such irresponsible actions by the Housing Authority.
In the meantime, the Antioch school district needs to take responsibility for reviewing the records of those students who live outside of the district and are attending Antioch schools. If any of these students are found responsible for breaking the law, this should result in immediate expulsion from attending Antioch schools. This policy should be made known in advance to the parents/guardians of such students. ZERO TOLERANCE!
To the mayor and city council: Be warned that failure to take action to improve the current crime situation, as outlined by Mr. Buongiorno, will provoke the citizenry to proceed with a recall election.
Section 8 info is confidential. You will never get information on who received vouchers.
Antioch’s death nail was driven when they broke ground on Deer Valley High. A school too large for the current population and required busing students in from West County. The Antioch School District is well aware of what it did to Antioch. It’s all about the $36 a day they make per student.
I hope ALL of you show up at the city council meeting, Tuesday, September 23, at 7pm. But I have seen this before and not one darn one of you will show up. I will, I always do.
Wow!! Grammar Nazi’s need to get a life. So you all think people that can’t spell or put in correct punctuation should just Shut up? Being a perfect speller doesn’t make you a great person. Not everyone that has something to say may not have had the privilege to go to school or may even have a learning disibility. I hope none of you Grammar Nazi’s are teachers because you sound like the old school rigid control freaks that should have never taught children. Have a little empathy. This person is stepping up for all of Antioch’s citizens, or would it be better if we just shoved all the crime your way since all you care about is grammar. Here’s two words I will use correctly grammar Nazi’s. Control freaks! Grammar is not the end of the world when not use properly.
Power to the People is what this has become. Sept. 23, 7pm. should we bring in our Civil Right peacher & attorney. Can white people use the NAACP too?
For those of you stating Section 8 is a large, if not the largest, contributing factor to the problems within this city, you are being misled by a growing misinformed public opinion. You are placing blame on a program that, I’m sure, many of you know little, if anything, about (http://www.contracostahousing.org/hcv.htm). You would all benefit from a little research into the program and the statistics concerning the city of Antioch. Perhaps it would be a good idea to contact the Housing Authority and request either a special meeting with the city council and concerned citizens or ask a representative from their office to attend a regular city council meeting to answer questions and provide information on Section 8 programs within Antioch. Also, the Housing Authority of Contra Costa County does not necessarily defend the actions of their clients and toss your concerns and complaints aside, but they do have to give them the benefit of a doubt to allow investigations into said complaints.
FYI… I am not now, nor have I ever (1) been a client of the HACCC, (2) receiving/received Section 8 or public housing benefits. I am, simply, an informed citizen.
Thank you. You got the point!
Thank you very much for what you said Buongiorno. We all want a safe community, schools and bussiness for our children and for ourselves. If he does not have the ability and authoridad to assume his position then Get Out !! APD is fighting without any support from the Mayor !! Antioch is this coming down completely! Please save the city
Mayor’s do not have much power; Most of this is NOT the mayor’s fault. I would say 40% of the crime in antioch is committed by methamphetamine addicts stealing cars for money to fund their next fix.
I would say that 80% of statistics are pulled out of thin air. How do you figure on 40% being meth-heads stealing cars?
I look at the arrest reports daily and look up their facebook pages. It is an educated guess.
Antioch is so far in the gutter, I’m not sure anyone can pull it out! How can our leadership behave so badly????? Thank you for writing a strong letter of disapproval. Sad to say, I doubt anything constructive will come of it. Time to get the house on the market and move away from here
Mr. Buongiorno,
PLEASE RUN FOR MAYOR.
Good letter,but the students parents should let these students know , it is not Ok to act like this, or to call every sibling,cousin,niece,nephew ,aunt,uncle or other friends to meet and cause this kind of trouble. The police and city officials need help to handle these crowds of unruly teens, a lot of them are not even from this city or this school !
Has anyone thought of including some of the students at Deer Valley when making decisions on what direction to take? Perhaps we could give them the opportunity to form a committee of students that are interested in working on the problem. Rather than going immediately to arresting them, expelling them, or laying down the law, it might be worthwhile to hear what they have to say. Maybe we could all work together (the people of the City, the City Council, the students, and the police department) to find solutions.
wake up, do you really think the punks want to be on a committee?
Will someone tell me what shopping center the white teenagers are causing the merchants to close when school gets out. I want to make sure the media puts it in the news.
You tell us and I’ll be the first call the report in. Do you know of a situation?
Excuse me but where the root of the problem is if you honestly think about it is………THE PARENTS! Come on everyone can sit here and say its because of this and that! Where does it all begin anyways…..IN THE HOME! OK now that I have said this it should be starting to turn some of your minds working on the bigger picture! We can criticize all we want to, cut down who ever we think SPELLS wrong, has bad grammar and the color of the skin, only the ROOT of all situations starts in the home.
Have any of the children been caught? Have any of the children parents been talked to about what it is that their child is doing? Have any of the parents been made accountable for their child’s actions? START MAKING THE PARENTS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE ACTIONS OF THEIR CHILDREN AND I HONESTLY BELIEVE THERE WILL BE A CHANGE IN WHAT IS HAPPENING.
Should for some reason the parents not give a rats ass about what their children do then that is another issue to be dealt with. From that point it becomes a legal issue of how parents are raising their children. We have all of these laws that will take YOUNG children from homes of parents that are not doing what the STATE thinks they should be doing in raising, educating and or the safety of their well being! Many good parents are losing rights to their kids daily for issues that to me lack even the right to be done.
So why is it that these parents are not being held responsible for the actions of their children. Come on we all hear and see how these children speak, dress and act and it is totally disgusting to think the parents allow it also. I would Never allow my children to be doing this. Yes I would punish them extensively! I never in my life would think that any parent would be ok with this and yet it is allowed by far too many.
People smarten up and stop fighting within those of you who are sick and tired of the violence. Band together and go after the parents! I know the parents probably scare many of you and no way would you ever confront them, right! So if it be the responsibility of the APD to handle this type of an issue then we need more APD officers to handle it, right? That is where I feel we ALL should focus our attention.
We need to stop the bs and get together and do something about the city hiring more officers NOW and not accept the lame excuses they continue to give us. Something needs to be done NOW in hiring! All the talk about this and that regarding hiring more officers and what they have to do and not do to me is just pulling that string around in circles and everyone keeps chasing it and going no where!
Just my opinion and thoughts. I’m not bashing anyone about anything. I am only making hopefully some of you open your eyes and look where the ROOT OF THE PROBLEM IS AND TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
We are a community that is so divided by who is right and who is wrong and who can spell and who can not.
We need to come together and UNITE TOGETHER TO STOP THE VIOLENCE….
What does:
being ignorant accomplish?
Degrading anyone accomplish?
Calling names accomplish?
Putting a skin color label on the violence accomplish?
Correcting grammar accomplish?
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, NOTHING AT ALL!
‘Where are the parents’ you ask? Well I know where a bunch of them are. They are over at the Streets of Brentwood. ‘What are they doing there?’ might be your next question. Doing what the parent of an out-of-control, juvenile delinquent such as these does best – yep, you guessed it . . . shoplifting
I am a neighborhood watch captain. Recently, we had as a speaker Director Bruce Samargiasso with the County Assisted Housing Authority(925-957-7090). He will enlighten you as to your options on Section 8.
Would you mind sharing here on this forum something enlightening about Section 8 that you learned from your meeting with Mr. Samargiasso?
Would you mind sharing on this forum some of the enlightenment you received from Mr. Samargiasso regarding Section 8 options?
Janet Burns has a positive idea. The majority of students are law abiding and educationally focused. It is a small group(probably less than 8%) who are the troubled ones. Just like our larger society.
So because it is a small minority of students that are troubled, it’s okay for them to disobey the law (just like our larger society)??? Not sure I get the point of Janet Burns’ positive idea.
One way to make sure the council members are made aware of the deterioration of our city – primarily due to section 8 and those owners and recipient that profit and exploit the system – one “homeless?/” individual admitted in a public interview – published earlier at this site-, that he makes $60.00 in just 2 hours of “begging-work” . Brentwood has a much better and efficient approach to this problem. I would suggest that at the next council meeting a proposition to make public the addresses of every council member. We will hear then the often used phrase…
“Not In My Neighborhood” starting with the Major and city manager.
No one has indicated that it is acceptable to break the law. The letter of Janet Burns(and I agree) is to submit the problem to the 95% of “Law Abiding” students on that campus to help come up with some solutions.
After all: “OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES’!!!!!!!!
Another fight yesterday after school involving two girls. It began by Chevron and Burger King and spilled over to front of Food Max. Swarms of kids jay walking across Deer Valle Rd. Where is the security that land lord is supposed to provide???? He is charging the merchants for it.
“Concerned Antioch Citizen”-I supplied the phone number to the Housing Authority. Best heard from them.
We reside in a neighborhood directly behind the south side of Deer Valley High. Our Neighborhood Watch Program consists of about 30 houses with families from many different ethnic origins(African-American, Anglo,Iranian, Chinese, Ethiopians, Philippines, Armenia ,Hispanic, etc.) . We have a tight community and have had a number of neighborhood parties. We watch out for each other(sidewalk signs to protect children at play, vacation watches, cruising the streets to watch out for errant activity, etc.) .
Some of our people have become involved in Antioch and County committees.
Much of the spotlight on Deer Valley Plaza emanated from our group and we dogged city official to address the problem. We are a force of action!
[…] decision to recall the mayor came after Buongiorno wrote an opinion piece and emailed it to the mayor and city council. The public provided him with 1,500 responses. The Mayor and Council did not even respond. (Note […]
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