On Sunday, City of Antioch residents reported multiple sideshows beginning as early as 3:00 pm and continued into the evening.
At one point, the sideshow activity blocked Contra Costa County Fire Protection District firefighters from responding to a call after they reported sideshow activity at Laurel and Canada Valley and asked dispatch to relay the sideshow to the Antioch Police Department. Its unclear how long the response was delayed to the call or what the outcome was.
According to residents, who provided video (see Facebook) and several images, the sideshows occurred at the following locations:
- Somersville & James Donlon (3:00 pm)
- Wilbur & Cavallo
- Davison & Hillcrest
- Wilbur and Minnaker
- Canada Valley & Laurel (5:44 pm)
- Wilbur & Cavallo x2 (6:41 pm)
CONFIRE Vehicle Crash Dispatches Sunday:
- 6:45 pm – Minaker & Wilbur – vehicle fire (Antioch)
- 6:38 pm – Hillcrest & Larkspur (Antioch)
- 5:33 pm – Bailey Road for a vehicle vs. motorcycle (Pittsburg)
- 5:30 – Marsh Creek & Sellers (Brentwood)
- 5:20 pm – Vasco & walnut – 6 Injured After Overturned Vehicle Crash on Vasco Road
Back on January 1, Antioch residents reported several sideshows, but its unclear what, if any police response occurred including Wilbur and Cavallo where a sideshow took place for approximately 25-minutes before police showed up and broke it up.
Sideshows are nothing new, Antioch City Council has punted the issue for nearly 2-years, including most recently in November when it was set to impose a fine on spectators, however, the council majority reversed course and instead directed staff to work on a ordnance that focuses on sideshow organizers. The council feared the spectator ordinance would unfairly issue citations to people caught up in sideshows and may not actually participate.
In fact, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe in May of 2022 promised the city it will take up an ordinance to tackle sideshows. Meanwhile, Antioch Councilmember Mike Barbanica has tried to get an ordinance passed to address sideshow spectators for over a year, but cannot get a council majority to move forward with the ordinance.
Previous Stories:
- Nov 16 – Antioch Opts to Place Ordinance Focus on Sideshow Organizers
- Oct 26 – Antioch Agrees to Create Ordinance Directed at Sideshow Spectators
- Sept 25 – Antioch Police Say 1 Arrested After Weekend Sideshow Activity
- Aug 15 – License Plate Readers Coming to Downtown Antioch
- Aug 9 – Antioch Mayor Claims Sideshows and Crime is Down
- Aug 9 – Antioch Man Charged with Reckless Driving and Felony Hit and Run
- Aug 6 – Antioch Sideshow Damages Water Main, Vehicle Also Enters Delta Waters
- July 5 – Updated: Hundreds Gather for Fourth of July Sideshow in Antioch
- Jan 12 – Antioch Police Tow 2 Vehicles, 1 Citation in Latest Sideshow Response
- 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
13 comments
Idiot council. Antioch doesn’t need new ordinances. It needs police.
I’m not sure what we can really expect to change when you’re got an Antioch Councilmember who has gone on the record as saying that sideshows give the young people something to do and if they weren’t doing that they’d be out doing something worse. (Not her exact words, perhaps, but the exact quotes are out there somewhere) Some folks at city hall have all but rolled out the red carpet for this behavior.
who cares? you get what you deserve Antioch.
There not enough decent cops to do anything
Why is it Antioch has so many sideshows?
“sideshow took place for approximately 25-minutes before police showed up”
Use the truck mounted water canons and clear a hole!
That’s need for road blocking protesters too.
APD needs to pick a weekend, then have other agencies like the CHP and the Pittsburg/Oakley/Brentwood Police Departments in a massive show of support to assist in towing cars and giving citations to make a statement. This could help as a future deterent, especially if maybe say 30-40 cars are impounded for 30 days from 1 weekend.
I got stuck in this yesterday evening on Laurel. There were easily 100 cars parked along the sides of the road. At the bottom of laurel two Oakley PD waited for spectators to come down the hill but they couldn’t do anything. Multiple cars were also driving up the wrong side of the road making it almost impossible to safely get away from it. This is absolutely ridiculous and will continue as people knows APD is not or cannot respond.
Someone in the above comments said it best, “Council majority.” There is the problem folks. A feckless, spineless Council majority. That’s what is destroying Antioch along with a grandstanding media hog mayor.
Why don’t they get rid of all the cars stored at the old paper mill put some asphalt down and give them a place to spin there wheels, post some safety rules, no alcohol or drugs, make rules on times it can be used and not used, all you city councel.and whoever else running this town need to get a life and step down before things get worse, you could call the national guard that’s what we have them for
Look no further than the clown show city council to figure out what is wrong in Antioch. When you have criminals, sympathizers, racist ego maniacs running the circus this is the outcome. The hood rats have taken over because theres hood rats running the circus.
Go VOTE People!!!
Don’t just “GO VOTE” we need to be “WELL INFORMED” ABOUT WHO and WHAT “THEY CARE ABOUT” when YOU ARE CHOOSING YOUR VOTE!! Do some research and “find out about the specific politicians” instead of just voting for them based on the majority of voters!! Duh!
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