Editors’ notice: This story incorporates racist and offensive language detailed in an investigative report by the Contra Costa District Legal professional’s Workplace.
ANTIOCH — For years, Antioch officers routinely used personal textual content messaging teams to flaunt their racist views, spouting slurs in entrance of superiors with out worry of reprisal.
The horrific language additionally was widespread at work, a newly-released report exhibits, even in entrance of inside affairs investigators. Officers joked about harming Black residents — one provided to purchase a “prime rib dinner” for anybody who shot Mayor Lamar Thorpe with a projectile used on protesters. Others talked about falsifying police studies and congratulated one another on the violence they inflicted throughout arrests.
The feedback had been met with indifference, laughter or reward from their colleagues, in keeping with a 21-page investigative report obtained by this information group Tuesday that particulars dozens of racist texts shared between almost two dozen officers over two years.
The fabric, whose existence grew to become identified final month as a part of a wide-ranging FBI and District Legal professional’s investigation into East Bay officers, was ordered launched to protection attorneys by a choose final Friday. It provides volumes to an already damning public portrayal of Antioch’s police division, the place about 20 % of the power is now suspended.
“I used to be bummed that beast was so fats cuz he didn’t bruise up very quick,” Officer Eric Rombough texted Sgt. Joshua Evans in December 2020, referring to a Black man who was finally charged with a felony in federal courtroom, solely to have the case dismissed when Rombough’s suspected crimes had been found.
“It by no means appears good on black (sic) guys,” Evans responded, in keeping with the report. Rombough reportedly shot again, “Similar to jobs and duties.”
The report, authored by Contra Costa District Legal professional Senior Inspector Larry Wallace, is one in every of two such paperwork. The second, out of public view for now, reportedly incorporates makes an attempt at humor alongside footage of Black males hospitalized with accidents attributable to Antioch officers, in keeping with a number of individuals who’ve seen the report firsthand.
Within the textual content messages, a minimum of one officer brazenly admitted to being a racist, whereas others made remarks that left little doubt, in keeping with the report. One of many officers even boasted to a colleague at one other metropolis that he can use the N-word “even in group messages with supervisors and IA (inside affairs) sergeants” with out repercussions.
The messages comprise references to Black individuals as “gorillas,” “monkeys” and “water buffalo” and quite a few homophobic slurs. In February 2021, Rombough texted Evans, “Not less than I received to 40 that f—t,” referring to the usage of a gun that fires rubber projectiles.
The texts had been found amid an ongoing FBI and Contra Costa District Legal professional felony investigation of greater than a dozen present and former Antioch and Pittsburg law enforcement officials. A federal grand jury is at the moment weighing charging officers with assault below colour of authority, fraud, distribution of steroids and cocaine, in addition to eliciting false confessions and accepting bribes to make site visitors tickets go away. Dozens of felony circumstances involving the accused officers already have been dismissed or are anticipated to be quickly.
On Friday, Contra Costa Superior Courtroom Decide Clare Maier agreed the texts must be launched to attorneys in a four-defendant gang tried homicide case, and not using a safety order. Maier dominated that the fabric, whereas offensive, didn't deserve the identical protections as particulars of the felony probe.
In a single textual content message concerning a Black Lives Matter protest in June of 2020, Officer John Ramirez texted different officers that he would purchase a first-rate rib dinner at a elaborate San Francisco steakhouse to anybody who makes use of a .40 mm launcher — one with non-lethal sponge bullets — at Mayor Thorpe.
When instructed of the textual content messages, Thorpe instructed this newspaper he was “blown away” by it.
“Right here I'm trusting them. There are occasions the place I’ve requested the police division to circle my home as a result of my daughter’s there by herself,” Thorpe stated Tuesday. “And that is the kind of animus they've towards individuals like me and my daughter? I’m simply so disgusted proper now. I can’t even describe it.”
Councilman Mike Barbanica, a retired Pittsburg police officer, stated he wished to attend for the investigation to play out during earlier than commenting on the scandal intimately.
“I don’t help in any method any racist-type feedback or statements and issues of that nature,” Barbanica stated. “However, if an officer goes to be held accountable, I don’t need to step out and begin making feedback and presumably create a scenario the place that officer can now not must be held accountable.”
A name by this information group to Michael Rains, an lawyer who represents Antioch law enforcement officials, was not instantly returned.
On April 24, 2020, Evans texted Officer Morteza Amiri: “I’ll bury that n—-r in my fields.” He later added, “And sure….it was a tough R on goal.”
“Haha there’s no accidents with you on that,” Amiri responded.
In one other trade, Evans acknowledged that a lady “referred to as me a racist cop.” Sgt. Rick Hoffman, the president of town’s police union, laughed on the remark and stated, “Properly, she has a degree.”
“I by no means stated I took offense to it,” Evans answered. Then one other officer, Tom Smith, chimed in, including that “Josh isn’t a racist. He simply hates ladies.”
Hoffman’s comment was one in every of solely two by the union president talked about within the report. The opposite refers to a textual content in 2021 that learn, “If anybody tries to seize my private cellphone I’m gonna smash it” after a colleague shared a information story concerning the Oakland Police Division seizing law enforcement officials’ telephones within the wake of a social media scandal there. Different materials is way extra offensive.
Following the homicide of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Rombough texted a civilian a meme making mild of Floyd’s dying.
Referring to a younger lady who's a outstanding police reform advocate in Antioch, Evans made a racist and sexualized comment in September 2020. Later that month, patrol officers Calvin Prieto and Andrea Rodriguez talked about aggressively ticketing individuals to “make these n—as eat s—.” In March 2021, Officer Jonathan Adams, referring to Black individuals, wrote, “Bro. All of them look the identical” and Rombough responded, “I really feel like I’m on the zoo.”
In November 2020, Officer Brock Marcotte requested a bunch of colleagues what they had been as much as. Rombough responded, “Violating civil rights,” in keeping with the report.
Rombough is without doubt one of the Antioch officers on go away whereas the FBI investigates him and 6 others. Devon Wenger, Rombough, Rodriguez, Prieto and Amiri stay on unpaid go away over the felony investigation, whereas two others below investigation — Tim Manly and Daniel Harris — have resigned, in keeping with a number of legislation enforcement sources.
The texts weren’t restricted to the Antioch police division’s internal circle. Amiri texted a Brentwood officer: “Since we don’t have video I typically simply say individuals gave me a full confession once they didn’t. Will get filed simpler.” That comment was made in April 2020, roughly a yr earlier than the Metropolis Council voted to equip Antioch officers with physique cameras.
Seven months later, Amiri instructed the identical officer, “It’s generally used across the PD (police division),” referring to the N-word. When she responded, telling him, “Given the instances I wouldn’t say that out loud,” Amiri doubled down, the report says.
“Even in group messages with supervisors and IA Sgt’s,” Amiri reportedly wrote again. “Matter of reality it was stated simply at this time in our group thread with a number of supervisors in it.”
When requested what ought to occur to these concerned within the trade of racist feedback, Mayor Thorpe had a transparent message.
“They shouldn’t be on this division — that’s for positive,” he stated. “Each final one in every of them. Whoever knew shouldn't be right here. Whoever stored quiet, we don’t want them. They'll go for all I care. We don’t want them right here.”