The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the federal trial court’s decision in the Tuggles case finding no discrimination by the City of Antioch in its community policing efforts. At the 2010 trial, a San Francisco federal jury deliberated only a short time before reaching its verdict of no discrimination by the police department.

This is another court victory for Antioch that affirms what the City’s residents and community leaders have understood for years: Antioch’s community policing programs were appropriate, unbiased attempts to address crime and neighborhood problems.

Plaintiff’s case hinged on accusations that the City’s practice of notifying landlords and the Contra Costa County Housing Authority of crimes and nuisance activity was improper. The federal jury, and now the federal appellate court, rejected that argument.

Also rejected was plaintiff’s claim that Antioch’s community policing efforts were discriminatory if crime and policing statistics did not absolutely mirror the racial or economic demographics of the community.

This appeals court decision comes after a landlord withdrew his discredited claims of harassment and dismissed his case in September, 2010 after payment of nominal court costs (Patras et al. v. Antioch et al.). Officers the landlord claimed threatened him were proven to be nowhere near his home or not even employed by the city.

The landlord was also a key witness in the lawsuit brought by the ACLU and Impact Fund alleging that neighbors and police working together to build safer neighborhoods was some elaborate and sinister conspiracy (Williams et al. v. Antioch).

As the evidence mounted that Antioch’s community policing efforts were fair, unbiased and focused on addressing criminal, drug and nuisance activities in neighborhoods, plaintiffs and their lawyers eventually agreed to dismiss their lawsuit in exchange for a settlement that was a fraction of what they originally sought.

The favorable resolution of all of these cases allows Antioch the opportunity to refocus valuable and limited resources and attention on community issues and solutions.

“We are grateful to community members of all races and backgrounds for standing alongside us as we stood up to these false allegations, and we are ready to move forward to make Antioch a better place to live, work and raise a family for all,” said Antioch Police Chief Allan Cantando.

“Rose infuses her live and recorded performances with non-stop energy and… heartfelt, female-centric jazz anthropology.” – JazzTimes

“It’s more than a jazz concert. It’s a swinging honors course in Womankind!” – San Francisco Magazine

What: Pamela Rose “Wild Women of Song”

Where: El Campanil Theatre

602 W Second Street, Antioch

When: Saturday May 12, 2012 4:00 pm matinee

Cost: Adults: $ 27 Seniors: $24 Children: $ 15

Tickets: (925) 757-9500

Online: www.elcampaniltheatre.com

With this delightful multi-media performance celebrating the history of female songwriters from the Tin Pan Alley era, Wild Women of Song, veteran San Francisco jazz and blues vocalist Pamela Rose makes a compelling case for the enduring contributions of women to America’s treasure trove of popular music.

Boasting a big, bold voice and blues-infused sensibility, Rose brings a vast array of musical experience to songs by more than a dozen gifted but lesser-known tunesmiths.

“Dorothy Fields should be as familiar as Ira Gershwin or Johnny Mercer,” says Rose, a Los Angeles native who first gained notice on the Bay Area scene in the late 1970s through her work with organist Merl Saunders and later with the Motown revue ZaSu Pitts Memorial Orchestra.

Immersing herself in jazz over the past two decades, she’s the rare singer who can belt sassy golden age blues by Alberta Hunter and Ida Cox as easily as crooning a torchy Peggy Lee lament. Completing the package, Rose also possesses enviable songwriting skills, and she throws her own well-crafted originals into the mix.

There are currently two (2) vacancies on the Antioch Police Crime Prevention Commission.

The Commission consists of five members, plus a Crime Commissioner Coordinator. Commissioners are involved in Neighborhood Watch groups and programs.

• A commissioner must be a resident of Antioch and must not be a full-time police officer.

• Meetings are held the third Monday of the month at 7:00 P.M barring holidays at which time the meeting will be held the following Wednesday.

The filing deadline is 5 P.M., Thursday, May 17, 2012 For more information visit
www.ci.antioch.ca.us/CityGov/BoardsCommissions.htm or City Clerk’s Office at 779-7009.

Antioch will hold its annual Memorial Day observance at the Oak View Memorial Park, 2500 E. 18th Street, on Monday, May 28 at 11:00 a.m.

This year is also the bicentennial of the War of 1812. It was during that war that the battle of Fort McHenry inspired the song that would become our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.  For more information on the bicentennial, visit www.visit1812.com.

Details on Antioch’s Memorial Day observance to follow.

Speaker: Tim Forrester

Associate Superintendent Business and Operations, Antioch Unified School District

Join us for our Coffee with the Chamber networking and educational event featuring AUSD Associate Superintendent of Business and Operations – Tim Forerster.

Tim will be discussing Measure J, a $59.5 million dollar school bond which will allow the district to rebuild Antioch High School as well as cover the success of Measure C improvements and financing.

Details

Date: Tuesday May 8, 2012

Time: 8:30am – 10am

Location: Antioch Chamber Offices

101 H Street, Suite 4, Antioch

Brought to you by the Antioch Chamber of Commerce

Dear Editor:

As I was reading the opinion column by Lou Davis (The Way I See It, May, 2012), I had to check the date on the paper to see if this was some kind of April Fools’ joke.  Perhaps before writing such an “opinion”, Mr Davis would like to read and maybe, reread his column before it goes to press.  Yes, Mr Davis, I will agree with you that there are racial divides in this country that I have never seen since the days of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s.  But since when are women in this country considered a different race than men?  You make no mention of any fact about race in this country and instead begin a diatribe against womens’ rights.  On this, the 40th anniversary of Title IX, women must still fight for even the most basic of rights in the workplace.  The last time I checked the figures from the U.S. Department of Commerce, women were still only making a portion of what men were making for doing the same job.  Where is the equality?

In the same paragraph, you mention the “Occupy Wall Street” movement.  To be honest, I don’t agree with the way that they go about things.  Where is the message that we can stand behind to fight this and to find a solution?  And, I don’t agree with the violence that seems to be a part of every rally.  However, they are trying to send a message and to be honest, if I were in there shoes, I would be afraid to be a spokesman for any cause, let alone fighting big business, in this country.  If you are of a certain age, you remember the last ones to stand for a cause that was out of the mainstream and what happened to them.  Martin.  Bobby.  Jack.

Your fixation on demeaning women is deplorable. You make them out to be second class citizens.  Women must fight daily to preserve their rights that are being taken away by a government of old, Caucasian men.  I don’t care what political party they are affiliated with.  Since when does anyone have the right to tell another how to live their life.   As a man of color Mr. Davis, you should understand it better than most of us could ever.

 When it comes to health care, I will always stand up for the working man.  The tone of your article sounds much like the newspapers of the early part of the 20th century.  Perhaps you don’t remember child labor.  Working 6 or 7 day weeks.  No benefits.  That is what the working men and women of this country stood for against repressive business owners and won the freedoms that we take for granted today.  You worry about religious institutions being mandated to cover contraception costs.  OK Mr. Davis, who will pay for the unwanted children? The possible risk to women who can’t afford health care when they are pregnant.  And again, what right does any man have in saying what I may do with my body.  When are the people of this country, who are losing their jobs to overseas competitors, going to stand up and say “Enough is Enough’?

Your rhetoric reminds me of a history class that I took many years ago.  The stand against women or any minority.  The belief in a Supreme Being that will lead us through and will fight our battles as long as we let our leaders tell us what to think.  Allowing any business or government to run over the working men and women and tell them they should be happy with what they are given.  You Mr. Davis, of all people, should be at the front of the line to not think as you are, but to see what is really happening.  You see, the place that I am talking about is not the United States of the 21st century.  It was Germany of the 1930’s.

Keith C. Walters, Antioch

So that’s why we see all those purple ribbons around town! Promotion for annual Relay for Life.

On April 29^th through May 6^th 2012, the towns of Antioch/Pittsburg/Brentwood will be awash in purple, thanks to efforts by volunteers from the American Cancer Society’s annual “Relay For Life,” a community campout against cancer. Throughout California, towns, schools, and businesses will “paint our town purple” to celebrate cancer survivorship and bring attention to the yearly events, which will be held on Saturday, June 23^rd at 10:00 am to Sunday, June 24^th at 10:00 am at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, CA and Saturday, June 16^th at 9:00 am to Sunday, June 17^th at 9:00 am at Liberty High School in Brentwood, CA.

“We’re using the power of purple to bring good news to cancer survivors and mobilize the community,” said Michele of Antioch. “Paint Own Town Purple Day is a time to celebrate the lives of cancer survivors, and to have some fun with the color purple to bring attention to the American Cancer Society’s many programs and services in our community.”

The American Cancer Society invites everyone to join the fun, simply by logging onto the Web site www.paintourtownpurple.org to find ideas on how to “Paint Our Town Purple” at a school, town, college or workplace. The Web site encourages participants to spread hope in their community. Whether you are a home-owner, a restaurateur, or a retail business operator/owner, there are plenty of ideas for painting our towns purple from April 29^th through May 6^th 2012.

• Decorate your home or store windows with a purple display.

• Hold a Main Street contest for the Best Purple Window Display.

• Display a purple yard sign in your front yard.

• Decorate your front entrance, your fence, or your door with purple balloons.

• Paint your porch light purple or insert a purple bulb.

• Tie purple ribbons around trees in your neighborhood.

• Wear purple clothing.

• Turn your town landmarks purple.

• Decorate the exterior of your City Hall purple.

For information about how to form a team or become involved in Relay For Life is available by contacting Event Antioch/Pittsburg Chair Judy Dawson: judy_dawson@att.net, 925-787-9021 or Event Antioch/Pittsburg Co-Chair Michele Littlefield: mmm5864@comcast.net, 925-813-5274 or Event Brentwood Chair Lynn Gursky: rflbrentwood@gmail.com, 925-634-4913 or Event Brentwood Co-Chair Ron Yarolimek: ronyar@gmail.com 925-550-1182 or visit www.relayforlife.org 1-800-227-2345.

Left to Right: Lana Skidmore, Bill Dietz, Rita Hamlin, Holly Ciaramitaro, Jen Peabody, Terry D'Emidio & Jen Miller (hand on head)

What:    Vagabond Players Present “Stepping Out”

Where:  El Campanil Theatre

602 W Second St
Antioch

When:   Friday May 4, 2012       8:00 pm

Saturday May 5, 2012   8:00 pm

Sunday May 6, 2012     2:00 pm

Cost:    Adults: $ 15   Seniors: $12   Children: $ 10

Tickets: (925) 757-9500

Online:   www.elcampaniltheatre.com

The Vagabond Players shuffle step back to El Campanil Theatre as they bring the rollicking tap dancing comedy Stepping Out  this coming weekend. Seven women and one man, each with his or her own “baggage,” assemble once a week for a tap class.  Led by Mavis, the eternally patient instructor, and accompanied by acerbic Mrs Fraser, the pianist, the students range from hopeless to barely competent, strive to master the basics of dance.  When they’re presented with an invitation to perform for a charity benefit, this motley but loveable crew attempts to overcome their inhibitions, awkwardness and overabundance of two left feet.

Directed by Sharon Redman, Stepping Out, is a good natured comedy by Richard Harris, which was later made into a movie starring Liza Minelli.

Cast includes Jennifer Miller as Mavis, the ex-chorus girl turned teacher; Norma Lent, the pianist; and Sheilah Morrison, Jennifer Peabody, Holly Ciaramitaro, Lana Skidmore, Rita Hamlin, Corinne Kelly, Bill Dietz and Terry D’Emidio, as the students.

Sure to entertain and keep your toes tapping!.