ANTIOCH — A police investigation right into a social media post calling for the reinstatement of executions within the “town square” to “fix” Antioch found no elements of hate or other criminal offenses, authorities said.
Brian Addington, interim chief of Antioch police, said they “determined that the elements of a hate crime or other crime were not met.” The decision to not pursue criminal charges against the one that wrote the post was made after consultation with the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office.
“The matter is closed,” Addington wrote in a text message to this news organization.
The investigation began earlier this month after a resident alerted the town council to the “hanging” social media post and forwarded screenshots of the post to police.
Nicole Arrington, who mentioned the comment through the Aug. 27 council meeting, said the remarks were a part of a pattern of “vile, racist and hateful” comments directed at black council members and city employees.
Antioch, a city of 115,000 residents, has been suffering from racial tensions for years: the black population has doubled up to now 20 years, while the proportion of whites has fallen to only over a 3rd of the town's total population.
Last 12 months, police were embroiled in a text messaging scandal during which officers used racist, sexist and homophobic language towards members of the community, including black men who were violently arrested by officers.
Nearly half of law enforcement officials sent or received these messages. Three of those officers are facing charges for allegedly plotting to attack black residents for fun and can stand trial later this 12 months.
Council member Tamisha Torres-Walker called the “hang” comment “outrageous” in an interview and a reminder of the vitriol that exists in the neighborhood. Since taking office in 2020, the Black councilwoman said she has received several hateful comments on her social media pages.
Originally published:
image credit : www.mercurynews.com