Antioch Mayor Claims Sideshows and Crime is Down

Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe proclaimed during Tuesdays city council meeting that sideshows and crime were down while accusing members of the community of a double standard at the blame game.

The commentary came after several public comments blamed the city council for creating a “cesspool” environment and invited crime because criminals knew they would not get caught.

Thorpe called it a double standard because people never treated former mayors Jim Davis or Sean Wright like this or blamed them for crime, but are quick to blame a majority black council–he called it offensive.

Thorpe made all his comments without providing any data to back them up.

Mayors Comments:

“I want to remind the public for the last two years we have actually seen a reduction in large scale sideshows in this city because we have been proactive. Our proactive efforts were disseminated as a result of the racist text messages scandal. So, we have many issues who work to gather intelligence, I can’t tell you how or methods used, to gather intelligence to intervene. They have done a very good job of stopping sideshows from happening. Or, if we can’t stop them, it’s a sideshow detail where they are going to meet the individuals at where its going to happen and they are not going to make it to any intersection. So, we have been very good at shutting down sideshows, we have, ” explained Thorpe.

He continued.

“The reason we never brought back the spectator ordinance, which I had called for, was because we were doing so good and thought oh put it on the back burner. We will get to it when we can. But obviously we are at a point where we need it so that will be coming back,” said Thorpe. “I want to reiterate that sideshows have been reduced in the city and we have done a very good job of making sure they happen.”

He pointed out this did not include individuals who roam around in neighborhoods and spin tires or do donuts while stating the times he has caught people by taking pictures of license plates and turning them into police, most are not from Antioch—most recently kids from Fairfield.

“Antioch does have the maxim in terms of fines, the state sets those rules,” says Thorpe. “We have the maximum so we can’t go beyond what we currently have. Those fines are $3,000 when the car gets towed, a fine, we are at the max so we can’t add anymore too it.”

He then pointed out when you see these sideshows and don’t see Antioch police respond, that is inaccurate as police do respond with drones where they show up with drones, capture license plates  and then they show up—they do not catch them in the moment but they will eventually get caught and tow vehicles.

“I will continue to reiterate to the public you can come to Antioch with these sideshows all you want, we are going to end up finding you and you will be fined and will not be a happy camper because the fines are excessive in this city,” said Thorpe.  “I don’t want the sideshows to become the narrative of the city, I want to make sure Chief Vigil understands sideshows are very important in this community in terms of dismantling them so if we can get that proactive detail back up again that was doing the investigative work to find who is organizing these, that worked very well.”

Double Standard on Crime

Thorpe then responded to several public comments blaming the leadership for crime and sideshows in the city while stating the leadership has created a “cesspool” environment.”

Thorpe said it was absolutely insulting saying he has sat on this council for 6.5 years and had have never heard those comments that some people state “because of the leaderships there”.

“No one ever said that to Sean Wright, no one ever said that when it was a majority white city council. Whether that is the intent or implication I want you to hear my words. I just want you to hear my words, I am not saying it’s your intent to do that, but I want you to hear how I hear it and how it makes me feel. That the first time we have a majority black city council that it’s the leaderships’ fault that x, y & z is happening.  I’ve only been here 11-years, when I moved here in 2012 everybody talked about the need for more police, the second year, I just looked at the stats, was the highest year in terms of crime. No one sat here and said Jim Davis it is all your fault. I don’t remember anyone saying that, I never heard anyone saying Jim Davis it’s all your fault.,” said Thorpe. “Meanwhile, the last two years have been the lowest violent crime years in the last 10-years. Yet, somehow its so easy to come up here and make these accusations to people who give their time, that somehow we created a cesspool. I never even heard of sideshows until I moved to Antioch. I didn’t know people did that until I moved to Antioch. So I hope you hear my words, because I heard your words and how insulting that can be. How absolutely insulting.”

A sideshow occurring over the July 4 Holiday in the City of Antioch

Thorpe touched on several other issues:

• Police Oversight Commission: Thorpe explained his goal is to have each councilmember participate in the first round of interviews and pick two community members – one over 18 and one under 18. He would then have a representative from one of the local civil rights organizations, possibly the NAACP to sit in the interview. They would then make the first recommendation and then Thorpe would make the final appointment.
• Garbage Issues: shares in their concerns as he is having issues with his own garbage pickup. Republic Services say they are having staffing issues.
• Social Servies: reiterated they are the only city to ramp up social services and created a Department of Public Safety and Community Resources while offering services for those most vulnerable in the community. Says they are one of the few cities being proactive with services that should generally come from the county “Over the years we have become very frustrated with the lack of services in Eastern Contra Costa County so we are the only city that said we are just going to have to do that”. He said he and Joy Motts worked on this for 2-years before the ribbon was cut for the homeless hotel.
• Union Workers: says city is committed to union workers and fair wages. Says they are one of the few cities in Contra Costa County with a Project Labor Agreement.
• County CORE Team: says he wants better coordination because when they do cleanups or move homeless he never sees the core team.

Editors Note:

Truly stunning commentary by a Mayor who has his head in the sand and fails to accept any responsibility for sideshows and crime–leaders accept blame, re-evaluate and improve. Instead, this guy deflects and continues to blame others.

As some who has lied over and over again, perhaps he forgot the treatment former Mayor Sean Wright received with protests at both his business and his home. Or the protests which Thorpe’s supporters, with him pointing out elected officials homes, they swarmed  former Councilmember Joy Motts and Antioch School Board Trustee Diane Gibson-Gray’s homes in protest. I don’t see anyone protesting at Thorpe’s place of work or home–he is full of it when he claims people blaming this council because they are an “all black council”. They are blaming this council because every council I have covered since 2010 have been blamed for crime–which they should own because that is the job of a city council and the policies and rhetoric they have used since 2020.

Thorpe wants to call out Jim Davis, fine. Davis had to deal with mass layoffs during the great recession, he had his fair share of blame after Antioch failed to reign in its budget quick enough when the economy turned under Don Freitas so perhaps the mayor should go take a history lesson.

As for crime being down. I’ve been over this, crime is not down, its simply underreported because Antioch Police do not have enough police officers to respond, take reports, and people give up reporting crime–especially businesses and thefts. Furthermore, there is a push to online reporting, people simply do not follow through. By the way, from a logical standpoint, violent crime is up across the state 6% — I highly doubt with a reduce police force that Antioch is somehow bucking the system given the amount of crime each week in the crime logs.

Sideshows being down? That is pretty comical and the black tire marks can speak for themselves.

Finally, lets be honest.  Every Mayor since 2010 has been blamed for crime, so has the council since the Great Recession because that is when Antioch Police were hit with major layoffs–its also been said since 2010 that Antioch needs 150 police officers, which they have never come close. For perspective, Antioch Police have 99 officers on the books today, and in 2010 with a lower population they had 104 officers which was at that time considered low. So crime clearly isn’t down because the math doesn’t work in terms of an increased population.

Just like any official, they can spin and deflect all they want, they no longer get away with lies and half truths to the public–Thorpe is no different. I will continue to call these people out when they speak at the dais.

Stories on Sideshows:

• Aug 7, 2023: Santa Rosa suing 13 sideshow organizers $25K each for pollution violations (ABC7)
• Aug 6, 2023: Antioch Sideshow Damages Water Main, Vehicle Also Enters Delta Waters
• July 5, 2023: Updated: Hundreds Gather for Fourth of July Sideshow in Antioch
• May 12, 2023: Pico Rivera Passes Street Takeover Ordinance Allowing for Permanent Seizure of Cars
• Jan 25, 2023: Criminal Investigation Leads to 7 Arrests of Sideshow Organizers and Promoters
• Jan 12, 2023: Antioch Police Tow 2 Vehicles, 1 Citation in Latest Sideshow Response
• Dec 27, 2022: CHP Highlights New Laws in 2023
• Dec 14, 2022: Brentwood Police Chief Comments on Recent Sideshow Activity
• Sept 23, 2022: Bill to Crack Down on Street Racing and Illegal Sideshows Signed by Governor
• May 16, 2022: Antioch Mayor Says Council Will Take Up Policy to Target Sideshow Spectators
• May 15, 2022: Antioch Police Respond to Two Sideshows, Officers Vehicles Attacked
• May 3, 2022: Pittsburg City Council Agrees to Fine Sideshow and Street Racing Spectators
• April 14, 2022: Oakley Police Say Vehicle Attacked in Response to Sideshow Event, Firearm Recovered