Writer addresses letter to Mayor and Council Members about crime in Antioch

Posted on Facebook – Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Your Honorable Mayor and City Council members:

I write to you to implore you to make 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


15 Comments to “Writer addresses letter to Mayor and Council Members about crime in Antioch”

  1. Julio says:

    Thank you Mr. Buongiorno. We have all talked until we are blue in the face and get no where. All three of them are the same. This no action council of three ALL need go. Get out! Do not re-elect Mr Tiscarino. As the Times says, in two years nothing.

  2. Ken Turnage II says:

    Rich Buongiorno, I am right there with you and agree with everything you said, but I have one correction. The Mayor had nothing to do with United Antioch, that was a picture of him attached to that event by someone trying to advertise it (they thought they were helping) He in no way helped, acknowledged or attended the event. It is believed by many of us the fact that his picture was posted in conjunction with it was one of the reasons for a lower than expected turnout. The Mayor of this City has failed and he knows it, that is why you do not see him or hear from him he has become an Ostrich!

  3. Reginald Jamal Brown says:

    I appreciate you writing this letter and publishing it in the Herald, 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!

    • Rich says:

      Thank you! It is time to take back Antioch AND get people in office that will support that effort. There is strength in numbers. If you can attend the City Council meeting tonight, Tuesday 09/23 that would be GREAT!

  4. Peter Pan says:

    Dear Mr. Buongiorno,

    My family and myself thank you so much for shouting out what we have been wanting to but dare not to say. Since 2005 when volumes of Section 8 families moved to Antioch from Oakland and Richmond, the city suddenly became a dangerous city where not only at nights but at days we dare not to walk on streets or even parking lots without bringing a gun!! It is ridiculous!!

    Mayer Sir of Antioch, please do something to save people from fears of living in this city.

    Thanks,
    Peter

    • Rich says:

      Thank you! It is time to take back Antioch AND get people in office that will support that effort. There is strength in numbers. If you can attend the City Council meeting tonight, Tuesday 09/23 that would be GREAT!

      WE NEED A NEW MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL!!!

  5. Ann O'Nim says:

    Antioch Unified School District should step up and pay for a full time police officer stationed at Deer Valley and at Dallas Ranch. The Deer Valley Principal and V-P’s should get in the golf cart and drive around the trouble area after school like they used to do when this happened before and the violence ended. Doing nothing is obviously not working.

    • Julio says:

      The problem with the school district is Doctor Gill. Get rid of him! The new military background principal at Deer Valley has proved to be a bomb also. Get rid of him!

  6. joe smith says:

    The biggest problem is the government. Now you ask why well they are the ones who give them our tax dollars for section 8, ebt, food stamp, medical bill. Drug test and criminal checks should be done before the government gives them everything for free. Fix that problem and they will stop having kids.

  7. Illiena says:

    can someone please explain to me why the same people keep getting re-elected, if they do not produce any results?

    • karl dietzel says:

      sorry i don’t want to hijack anything here.

      great letter rich
      i also have emailed the mayor, and all council members but nobody is answering back.

      and you are absolutely on the money, why are people voting the very same people into office over and over, and expect different results.

      why should we vote for a school board member, with unfinished and failed biz which is 5 ml long?
      same for real estate agents.

      Vote for me
      Karl Dietzel for Antioch City Council
      Nov. 2014, Election

      • karl dietzel says:

        the mayor has NOT answered me neither.
        but i got a text answer from council woman rocha.

        well, we will see tuesday if he still is in office…..

      • Rich says:

        Thank you Illena & Karl! It is time to take back Antioch AND get people in office that will support that effort. WE NEED A NEW MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. There is strength in numbers. If you can attend the City Council meeting tonight, Tuesday 09/23 that would be GREAT!

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