As two Antioch cops restrained Angelo Quinto on a bed room flooring on Dec. 23, his mom instinctively reached for her cellular phone.
Maria Cassandra Quinto-Collins’ video of the aftermath — her son laying unconscious, with blood smeared on his mouth — is the solely visible file the general public has of what occurred. It took police almost a month to acknowledge Quinto’s demise, which occurred in a hospital on Dec. 26.
When the information surfaced, it jolted the Contra Costa County suburb, forcing political leaders to contemplate police reforms that many surrounding cities have already adopted.
“Today marks our first step in building a Police Department that every segment of our community can trust,” Mayor Lamar Thorpe stated, originally of what can be a seven-and-a-half-hour particular council assembly on Friday night time. Convening remotely from their computer systems, a generally divided council directed metropolis workers to draft proposals for body-worn and dashboard cameras, in addition to an impartial police oversight fee.
The council additionally unanimously voted to review another response for responding to psychological well being crises, led by civilians slightly than police. Oakland put aside $1.85 million final yr to pursue an analogous mannequin, which has but to take form.
In Antioch, the proposed police reforms are nonetheless hypothetical, although they mirror a bigger cultural shift. Final yr’s elections introduced a Black majority to the five-member Metropolis Council, with Thorpe besting former Mayor Sean Wright, who was endorsed by the Police Officers Affiliation. Upstart politician Tamisha Torres-Walker beat incumbent Councilwoman Pleasure Motts to signify Antioch’s northern district, with guarantees to rework metropolis providers — together with regulation enforcement.
Torres-Walker, who was previously incarcerated and now runs a social justice nonprofit, started urgent for change as quickly as she took workplace. And her strategies had been unconventional. In late December, she posted a tearful video on Fb, slamming Antioch police for aggressively confronting her two sons as they rode filth bikes on a busy roadway earlier that day.
After the video went viral, some residents criticized Torres-Walker for utilizing profanity — she stated she obtained hate messages with taunts and racial slurs — however others noticed an pressing must buy police physique cameras. As soon as Quinto’s demise made nationwide headlines, town may wait now not, Torres-Walker stated.
“It’s unfortunate that it had to be on the heels of one more death at the hands of our Police Department,” the councilwoman advised the Chronicle on Monday. “Because trust me, this isn’t the first.”
Though the Chronicle was not in a position to instantly get hold of information on the quantity of people that have died in Antioch police custody, no less than one different case has captivated the general public. The lawyer representing Quinto’s household, John Burris, sued town in 2016, a yr after 34-year-old Rakeem Rucks died whereas officers restrained him. The events settled for $475,000 final yr.
Burris filed a wrongful demise declare on behalf of Quinto’s household on Feb. 18. Lower than per week later, a person died after police struck him with a Taser. Then a wave of gun violence made headlines, unnerving residents. However even because the East Bay metropolis adjusts to the highlight, residents and metropolis leaders appear at odds over insurance policies to carry police accountable.
Throughout Friday’s assembly, sure votes fell alongside racial traces — akin to when the three Black councilmembers supported the thought for a police fee, whereas the 2 white councilmembers dissented. One councilwoman, Lori Ogorchock, bristled on the variety of public audio system who had been calling in from exterior Antioch, lots of them representing activist teams or coalitions.
Thorpe, the mayor, is assured the reforms will advance at a quick tempo, with a vote to enter contract negotiations for physique cameras as quickly as subsequent week. He stated the composition of Antioch’s management is totally different than it was final summer time, when George Floyd’s demise triggered nationwide protests. Feeling impressed, Thorpe — then a councilmember — made a seemingly innocuous pitch for a police reform committee.
“Oh my God, you would have thought I called not just for the abolition of policing, but the abolition of every police officer that existed,” he stated throughout an interview Monday.
The proposal drew 700 public feedback, with critics blasting from all sides earlier than the earlier Metropolis Council shot it down 3-2.
“To this day it looked ugly to me,” he recalled.
Now he feels hopeful. Friday’s assembly additionally attracted lots of of calls and emails, however this time, lots of them advocated for the brand new insurance policies.
Antioch, as soon as predominantly white and dealing class, has steadily grown extra numerous. Over the past twenty years, Black owners flocked in; companies, churches and the BART extension adopted. Town developed, and, Thorpe famous, its authorities lastly caught up.
Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle workers author. E-mail: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
