On a Memorial Day weekend, we will be gathering together as a group of churches to cancel the curses of the past and declare a new, godly and positive future over Brentwood and the surrounding regions. 

For tickets and to order and pay for your choice of meal (optional) visit JOHN MARSH PRAYER BREAKFAST | East Bay Conferences.

For assault with a deadly weapon, drug possession, more; has history of arrests

By Allen D. Payton

According to Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jimmy Lee, “On Friday, May 19, 2023, at about 5:19 PM, a deputy sheriff responded to a domestic-related incident. The suspect was believed to be at his residence (on Lilac Lane) in Antioch. With the assistance of other law enforcement agencies, deputies found the suspect hiding inside the house.”

The stand-off lasted until about 11:00 p.m. An Antioch resident shared a screenshot of the Sheriff’s helicopter flight pattern over the neighborhood at 9:10 p.m. and another shared a video of the scene taken at 10:29 p.m.

The suspect “was eventually arrested without incident. He is identified as 45-year-old Vance Robert Gattis who had a felony warrant for his arrest,” Lee continued. “He was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on charges that include assault with a deadly weapon, making criminal threats, resisting arrest, and drug possession.”

According to localcrimenews.com, Gattis has a history of arrests from 2018 by Antioch and Concord PD, and Contra Costa and San Joaquin Sheriff’s Departments for drug possession, felon in possession of a gun, battery on spouse/cohabitant/former spouse, possession of ammunition, assault with a deadly weapon likely to produce great bodily harm, carrying a loaded weapon, among many other charges.

In undated letter to Chief Ford, Thorpe says he also wants no police union members in APD Internal Affairs

Mayor claims police department is “plagued with deep institutional racism”

By Allen D. Payton

Following the Facebook post by Antioch Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker on Thursday calling for the immediate termination of “the officers involved in the racist texting scandal”, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe also called for “the termination of officers” involved in the scandal. In addition, a post on his official Facebook page on Friday, May 19, 2023 reads, “Today, Mayor Lamar Thorpe issued the following open letter to Chief Steve Ford regarding decommissioning the use of the MRAP Tank and the need to bar elected board members of the police union from serving on the police department’s internal affairs team.”

In March 2021 the Antioch City Council voted 4-1 to ban the future acquisition of surplus military equipment with District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica voting no. Part of that military equipment currently owned and used by the Antioch Police Department is a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) military light tactical vehicle. Now, the mayor and mayor pro tem want the department to get rid of it.

As previously reported, the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency’s 1033 program allows the Pentagon to give extra military equipment to local police departments across the United States. It’s part of their mission of disposing obsolete and unneeded excess property turned in by U.S. military units around the world. The type of property ranges from military-specific equipment and vehicles to generic office furniture, computers, medical items, and shop equipment.

But the mayor thinks the use of the MRAP, which the department now labels a “Rescue Vehicle”, “sends the wrong message to the community” and to “prospective police office(r) candidates”. He also says there needs to be a “clear delineation” between police union leaders from working as members of the department’s Internal Affairs division investigating those they were elected to represent.

Thorpe’s undated letter reads:

Dear Chief Ford:

As I’ve said publicly and privately to you, as the city of Antioch continues to grapple with the reality that its police department is plagued with deep institutional racism, I will continue to focus on ensuring that this issue is not conveniently swept under the rug. Under my watch that will not happen.

As I traverse the city and meet with residents, I am reminded daily that actionable steps must be taken to correct past mistakes. We will not be able to talk this issue away as it strikes as the very essence of who we are as a city – inclusive and open for all. I strongly believe that Antioch residents deserve a police department that every segment of Antioch’s racially diverse community can trust.

In order for us to get there, as well as beginning the healing process, the immediate termination of officers who violated the public’s trust by displaying racism (as established by the FBI and District Attorney and upheld by a superior court judge) is required. Anything less makes all of our efforts, including your community conversations, appear like nothing more than a public relations campaign.

As a result, at next Tuesday’s Antioch City Council meeting, I will be seeking the support of my colleagues to formally direct the Antioch Police Department to immediately decommission the tank, also known as the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle. The MRAP was designed specifically for War in Iraq so that U.S. soldiers should withstand improvised explosive device (IED) attacks and ambushes. To date, there have been no such reported attacks or threats in the city of Antioch. (See Item 5 on Tuesday’s council meeting agenda)

As evidenced in a photo on the Antioch Police Department’s website, the tank sends the wrong message to the community and absolutely sends the wrong message to prospective police office [sic] candidates.

I will also be advancing a measure that bars board members of the police union, in our case, the Antioch Police Officers Association, from serving as members of the internal affairs team. If the community is to trust you and established processes, there must be a clear line of delineation between union leaders elected to represent police officers who may have committed misconduct and those charged with investigating those officers.

To move our city forward, tough decisions must be made now. In that spirit, the decommissioning of the tank and the separation of union board leaders from internal affairs will send the very clear message that the city of Antioch is genuinely committed to reforming the culture of the Antioch Police Department.

Respectfully,

Lamar A. Thorpe

Questions for Thorpe

Thorpe was asked via email late Friday afternoon what message the ownership and use by the department of the MRAP sends to the community and police officer candidates, and what does the vehicle have to do with the racist text scandal.

Questions for Ford

In addition, the following questions were sent via email to Chief Ford Friday afternoon, and copied to the three members of the Community Engagement team: “Do you have a response to the letter from Mayor Lamar Thorpe, today? Do you agree the ‘police department is plagued with deep institutional racism’? How is the MRAP used by the department? Is it necessary for the department to fulfill its responsibilities of keeping the public safe while also keeping officers safe? Regarding the Facebook comments by Torres-Walker, yesterday do you believe there is a ‘deeply entrenched racist culture within the Antioch Police Department’? Do you have any other response to her comments?

Neither responded prior to publication time. Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Introduces 2023 Student Delegates

The Antioch-Chichibu Sister City Organization is excited to announce that we are back! After a short hiatus due to travel restrictions related to the pandemic, we are up and running again!

The Antioch/Chichibu Sister City Organization is a volunteer, non-profit organization comprised of interested citizens in both cities.

We are hosting a fun filled day at Chichibu Park on May 20th from 10am-3pm. Our activities will include a park clean up, fun kids’ games, snacks for sale, voting on our new organization logo, as well as local vendors and a community garage sale. We are still accepting vendors and garage sellers. We look forward to meeting and sharing information about our organization with many community members on Saturday!

The purpose of the organization is to give citizens of Antioch and Chichibu the opportunity to experience each other’s country and culture. The benefits of our program include the making of many friends between the two cities. We alternate years with Chichibu to send delegations to each other’s city for a roughly two-week home-stay. We last hosted our friends from Chichibu in 2018! This being an odd year, it is our turn to send a delegation to Chichibu. Our visit is scheduled for July 13th to the 23rd.

We have elected a new board: President Antwon Webster, Vice President Jessica Davis, Treasurer Jim Davis, Secretary Grace Mangaoang, Public Relations Abe Rodriguez, Board Member Cheryll Newberry, Board Member Margaret Skupa.

Our student delegates are: Noah Engle-Senior Antioch High, CoraRose Adams-Junior Antioch High, Albert Wong-Junior Antioch High, Abigail Monfil-Sophomore Antioch High, Madilyn Davis-Sophomore Antioch High, Haylee Wong-Sophomore Clayton Valley Charter High, Zion Engle-Sophomore Prospects High, Hillary Tam-Freshman Dozier Libby High, Alexander Ferguson-8th Grade Antioch Charter Academy

Our adult delegates are Antwon Webster, Jessica Davis, Cheryll Newberry, Grace Mangaoang, Abe Rodriguez and Tom Stinson.

To be held at Genesis Church, 1800 Woodland Drive, Antioch. For more information visit ANTIOCH YOUTH SPEAK! Pizza w/ the Chief | Facebook.

Finley Road ranch property

By Dave Mason, Public Information Supervisor, Public Affairs, East Bay Regional Park District

The East Bay Regional Park District has purchased the 768-acre Finley Road ranch property located in Contra Costa County at the western edge of Morgan Territory Regional Preserve and the southern edge of Mount Diablo State Park. The acquisition preserves forever one of the largest remaining pristine open spaces adjacent to Mount Diablo State Park. The property was officially acquired on April 24, 2023. Park District board of directors voted to authorize purchase of the property on March 7, 2023.

“The acquisition is an important step toward a long-desired staging area at the end of Finley Road,” said Park District Board Director John Mercurio. “Access to western Morgan Territory Regional Preserve and southern Mount Diablo State Park has been limited over the years and this property is an important step toward improving public access.”

The Finley Road Ranch property includes a flat, accessible area for a potential staging area that would provide access to the property and significantly improve public access to the Park District’s Morgan Territory Regional Preserve and the adjacent Mount Diablo State Park.

“The Park District thanks our partners for their contributions toward the acquisition, including the California Coastal Conservancy and Save Mount Diablo,” said Park District General Manager Sabrina Landreth. “The acquisition supports the Park District’s mission of habitat preservation and providing public access for recreation, and furthers California’s 30×30 Initiative goal of conserving 30 percent of the state’s lands and coastal waters by 2030.”

The Park District is a supporter of the state’s 30×30 Initiative and participates in the initiative’s partnership coordinating committee, which works toward implementing the policies of the 30×30 Initiative and facilitates coordination among state and federal public agencies, tribal partners, and other non-governmental partners.

The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest regional park system in the nation, comprising 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline, and over 1,300 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and environmental education. The Park District receives more than 25 million visits annually throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.