On Wednesday night, the Antioch Unified School District held a special meeting to discuss the possible funding of school resource officers which the City of Antioch was awarded a grant and the city is seeking partial funding by the school district.
Nearly 50-minutes into the meeting, protesters began pounding on the walls and doors during public comments. Previously to that part, at one point in the meeting, the meeting was paused due to the distraction and when they came back, Trustee Ellie Householder asked for a recap as she was remote.
Trustee Gibson-Gray (38:03 mark) provided a recap saying:
“They have breached the building; we are still in the boarding. I don’t know who they are. They are in t-shirts, they are protesters. I don’t know anything beyond that, I am sorry,” stated Gibson-Gray.
By the 47-minute mark, through the video, you could hear the pounding on the walls and doors.
“I am hearing a lot of noise on my end,” stated Householder. “Its getting pretty difficult to fall along.”
Gibson-Gray responded that “protesters were banging on the building, and unless we absolutely cannot hear, I am going to continue the meeting.”
Trustee Crystal Sawyer-White confirmed it was loud saying it was like someone was breathing.
At that point, Gibson-Gray called for a 30-minute recess.
By the 102-minute mark, the meeting resumed which Householder confirmed she was hearing a lot of noise which could be heard in the video. The meeting was postponed until 7:00 pm Thursday.
Gibson-Gray confirmed the protesters were in the lunchroom, beating on the doors and they could not have a meeting.
According to Trustee Diane Gibson-Gray, she said Thursday, she sustained a bruise on her arm from hitting a door jam when a protester was nudging an employee out of the way during an exchange. She also noted that she was trapped in her car after protesters surrounded her vehicle on all four sides. She requested Antioch Police to escort her out of the situation. Ultimately, protesters did not move after Antioch Police were attempting to defuse the situation. Gibson-Gray asked another officer to give her a ride home and she would pick up her vehicle later.
Last week, in a 3-2 vote, the Antioch City Council agreed to accept the grant, but with the caveat the Antioch Unified School District pick up 50% of the bill in an amount of approximately $375k over a 3-year period.
If the school district approves, the city and school district would split costs and have a School Resource Officers at the following schools:
- Antioch High School
- Deer Valley High School
- Antioch Middle School
- Black Diamond Middle School
- Dallas Ranch Middle School
- Park Middle School
The grant is for $750,000 over three years which amounts to $125k per officer position for the duration of the grant, or $41,667 per officer per year. The maximum cost of each officer including salary and benefits is $167,458 per year. The net cost to the city would start at $125,791 per police officer per year. If all six positions were filled, the initial cost would be approximately $754,756 the first year and increasing annually thereafter.
The meeting will continue Thursday with the same agenda.
16 comments
Honestly it’s so hard to hear these politicians who take pay raises so often and make so much money for doing so little to say defund the police because “they’re over budgeted”. How about instead, first we defund these politicians who also like to take money from companies, and use that money for the programs they claim they want to help? How about they lead by example first. I want to know how many mayors, senators, members of congress, city council members who would take pay cuts and allow themselves to be defunded if it meant giving back to the community like they claim when they want to defund the police. It’s so easy to get behind a cause in which a person is not effected by. So I’ll say again, if your main objective is to help the community and programs that are lacking in funding, then let’s defund the politicians first.
Here’s an idea. It’s nice to say defund the police, but you want to know how we could really help? You know who really has a lot of money, perhaps more than they deserve, and that money should be given away to the community and programs that are lacking such as education, mental health, homelessness, and much more. The politicians, so how about we defund the politicians first, you know what I’m saying? After all they’re all the ones who are getting behind this defund movement; they’re the ones who are the loudest for it. How about they lead by example, and offer up their own money first to really show they’re about that action, put their money where their mouth is. That’s how you really get the people on your side, show them you mean business. After all they’re our leaders right? That’s what they call themselves. So it’s time to lead, lead the movement and the change you speak of. After all don’t you care about the city and the people that voted you in? I mean don’t you see what’s happening? I can’t walk outside without running into group of homeless people sleeping right beside a business. All my essential stores have been closing, leaving empty buildings for more homeless people. I keep hearing stories of gun violence and other crime plaguing the city. Where the opportunity in Antioch, the only thing I see is the opportunity to get shot. I mean don’t they care? I thought they care.
Morons!!
Society continues to give in to a few loud mouths and look at what a complete disaster things are!!
Theres maybe 30 losers in that video with big mouths and no lives!!
SROs are a result of a long track record of criminal activity occurring in schools and WE needed them. Lets keep our kids safe!! Lets put responsibility back on the breeders of these kids to raise them! Schools cannot be expected to carry all the responsibilities of raising kids!!
Parents be parents
Schools educate
Well said!!! ?
The disturbers that we’re not peaceful needed to be arrested immediately as soon as they banged on the windows and walls. The democratic way to protest is to get your public comment in for the time allowed.If all those people went through the comment period, they would have been respectfully considered and had more of an impact on the decision. Now all they are is anti socialites out of control. A peaceful protest does not involve the disruption of normal societies ability to commerce. Next time gather public speakers and respectfully get your message out through the public comment period. This anarchy style of protest will hurt the cause more than help it.
That’s a lie. The people in that video DID go through the procedure to submit comments and attended the public Zoom discussion, only to witness complete disregard to their suggestions a d well written comments. They HAVE tried and they are completely being ignored. The overwhelming majority of comments submitted previously for Agenda #4 were not viewed with the best care, so they are making their voices unable to be ignored.
You are wrong, mm. They are entitled to express their opinions in a civil manner. The fact that they disagree with the board’s decision does not entitle them to resort to mob action.
Socialites out of control??? GASP! That last Debutante Ball must have been a humdinger
Enough with the LIBERAL TEMPER TANTRUMs
RESIST Democrat SYSTEMIC Hate
VOTE DEMOCRATS OUT IF YOU CARE
If you voted Democrat
YOU’RE just as immature as these loudmouths
And US adultsAre sick and tired of replenishing your debit cards every week
Unfortunately, here in California, our lawmakers pander to this (and encourage) this type of behavior. Throw a temper tantrum, pitch a fit, throw out the race card and you suddenly get what you want, regardless if what you want is in the best interest of our community.
I would have thought that when a student is murdered at a school function (January 2020 Deer Valley High School), that would be enough to have the school board, parents and students convinced of the need for SROs. Why isn’t the safety of the students first and foremost during these discussions?
Where is the protesting for the poor education the children of Antioch receive on a daily basis? Get your priorities straight! Antioch schools are a disgrace and give children/kids almost no chance of ever seeing doors of opportunity open. Shame on AUSD!
The meeting of Aug 5th was outrageous. Anyone banging on the walls and windows should have been arrested. That is not a peaceful protest. the demonstrators are a prime example of why we NEED SRO’S. The state politicians have passed so many useless laws that teachers and students are not safe in school. Teachers are not allowed to discipline students and students are subjected to gang members and disruptive students preventing all from learning. My only concern is making the school pick up half the tab, when in fact we do need counselors. We need the SRO’s but the City should fund it. Please silent majority..Don’t let violent protesters take over our democracy. It’s time to talk back and Vote. P.S. as to defunding local politicians, forget it. They work hundreds of hours for the benefit of our community and are paid pennies on the hour. They surrender their lives to serve us during hateful times like now. Support our local representatives. Direct your anger to Sacramento and Washington DC.
AUSD was great until the plague hit———-
I guess those clowns should have called a counselor to speak to the angry mob instead of being escorted out of there by the same police department they want to defund.
None of those BLM bots are current students. This is what Marxism looks like.
Of course they don’t want law and ORDER. it gets in the way of brooding out more future agitators.
“Hey hey…ho..ho. We can’t mess up a good thing…so cops have gots ta go”
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