Antioch, California — September 8, 2020 — Several women community leaders, including two Antioch city councilmembers, today condemned false accusations being spread by Mayor Sean Wright against Diana Becton, the county’s first elected woman and Black district attorney, in his bid for reelection.

In an email sent to supporters last week, Wright claimed Becton created a policy that says it is OK for looters to steal items if they need them. “According to our DA, if the looters ‘need’ an item in a retail shop, for example, it is ok for them to take that item without being charged,” he wrote. Wright included a photo of a Black man looting a store in Chicago in his email.

Wright shared a September 1, 2020 article by The Daily Wire, a conservative news and opinion website, that supported his accusation against Becton. However, since the article was published, Snopes, an independent fact-checking website, found claims made in the article and shared on other right-wing websites were false.

In June, Becton issued guidelines that encouraged prosecutors to make a distinction between thefts and burglaries that merely happen to take place during a state of emergency and lootings, which are “substantially motivated by” a state of emergency. Contrary to Wright’s claim, the guidelines do not advise prosecutors to not to go ahead with a looting charge if a suspect was found to have been motivated by “personal need.”

“Frankly, I’m shocked by the mayor’s comments, especially since he is running on a platform to unite the community,” said Monica Wilson, Antioch’s first Black woman city councilmember. “Fearmongering and spreading lies to drum up votes are not how you unite a community, especially a community like Antioch, where majority of residents are people of color.”

“For a mayor of a city this size, it is completely irresponsible to make a statement based on unverified information that is later proven false,” said Antioch Mayor Pro Tem Joyann Motts. “At a time when we are trying to bring the community together, this is very divisive.”

Wilson also condemned similar remarks recently made by Steve Aiello, president of the Antioch Police Officers Association. In a September 1, 2020 story published by EastCountyToday.net, Aiello accused Becton of being “reckless” by “picking and choosing the types of crimes” her office prosecutes.

“There is very clearly a double standard going on here,” Wilson said. “Our district attorney has done nothing wrong, yet she has gained nationwide attention for her actions simply because she is a Black woman in a position of leadership. Meanwhile, we have had elected men here in Contra Costa County embezzle money, make unwanted sexual advances, and say inappropriate things, and it barely registers a blip on the radar.”

Other local women leaders who were disappointed in Mayor Wright’s comments included Tamisha Walker, Executive Director of Project Safe Return. “When we find ourselves misunderstanding the actions that are being taken at this moment, it would be more productive to find common ground rather than inferring that the leadership of a woman of color is irresponsible and reckless,” Walker said. “Solidarity is what we need during this time, not separatism that could lead to harm in any form. Black women can lead consciously and with full integrity during these very difficult and unprecedented times.”

“The disturbing part is intentionally misinterpreting DA Becton’s stance for shock value,” said Carolyn Wysinger, an East Bay activist and Board Chair of San Francisco PRIDE. “The mayor wrote, ‘According to our DA, if the looters “need” an item in a retail shop, for example, it is ok for them to take that item without being charged. I don’t agree with this approach — do you?’ That is classic dog whistle politics, and THAT’S what we are calling out.”

Courtney Masella-O’Brien, attorney and community activist, said the mayor’s comments were reckless. “At a time when tensions and division in our country and our county are at an all-time high, people need to be responsible and make sure they have their facts accurate and complete, especially when it comes to Contra Costa’s first Black and first woman DA,” she said.

Arianna Grady, an Antioch student activist, said Wright’s comments typified the type of undue scrutiny Black women often encounter. “My mother always taught me that there are two things already against you in this world: ‘You’re Black and that you are a woman.’” Grady said. “Every day, Black women and men suffer from hardships. When we have passion in our voices, we are labeled ‘aggressive.’ When our hair isn’t considered ‘professional,’ we are ‘ghetto.’”

“This certain situation goes to show the continuous hardship we face, which causes us to work ten times harder with only half the expected outcome,” Grady added. “Being a Black woman in politics has shown me how hard we have to work for what we want, as many odds are against us. In this particular situation, it goes to show that we should not be misread and blasted by our peers but understood. This situation should only make us all want to continue to fight for and vote in people who will fact check, understand and seek to empower all.”

References:

Sean Wright’s campaign email:

https://secure.campaigner.com/CSB/Public/archive.aspx?args=NDU5NTMyMDA%3D&acc=NzU5ODM5&fbclid=IwAR2s9TznAap7tm3YOAaHeE14JfULlNEdWdi6FMZKS5_7OJUK-v2VnYMQ4I4

Did a California DA Say Looting Is ‘Okay’ If Suspects ‘Need’ What They Steal?

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/california-da-becton-looting-need/

Antioch Mayor Blasts Contra Costa District Attorney’s Policy on “Looters”

https://eastcountytoday.net/antioch-mayor-blasts-contra-costa-district-attorneys-policy-on-looters/

As an advocate for survivors of human trafficking, I know firsthand that physical and psychological abuse leads to serious mental and emotional health consequences, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. This is why mental health services are so critical in our region. But frankly, we lack these services, and instead we expect our local police departments to deal with mental health-related incidents, even when a crime is not being committed.

At the Antioch City Council’s first Bridging the Gap Forum two weeks ago, several residents rightly pointed out that our police officers are being overstretched. I agree this is a serious issue.

In 2017, after demands from the City Council to address homelessness, the police department launched the Community Engagement Team (CET). The purpose of CET was to respond to homeless situations throughout our city. At that time, I thought this was the right solution.

In retrospect, I should have advocated for something different where mental health was the primary focus versus criminalizing the homeless. In fact, there are already proven systems of de-escalation for the high volume of mental health calls police respond to.

Eugene, Oregon for example, has a mobile, community-based crisis program that employs first responders who are not the police to address disturbances in which a crime is not being committed. The program, Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Street (CAHOOTS), has become one of the longest programs of its kind in the country.

In its simplest form, CAHOOTS provides immediate stabilization in case someone is experiencing an urgent medical need or psychological crisis, including assessment, information, referral, advocacy, and (in some cases) transportation to the next step in treatment. The program has inspired similar programs in other cities including the Denver Alliance for Street Health Response, Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland, and Portland Street Response.

Over the last few weeks, our city, along with most cities throughout our county, has had to grapple with very difficult conversations about policing and race relations. In the midst of these conversations, the City Council is continuing to debate police reform. We’ve heard from close to 1,000 residents on this issue.

In this ongoing conversation about police reform, I want you to know that I am committed to using my voice and expertise in looking for new ways to respond to mental health situations in our city. But in order to find solutions, we need to be asking some very important questions.

How do we help citizens who are suffering from mental disabilities, but do not need law enforcement? When they need help, are we sending the right response team? How do we properly help those who cannot help themselves — or those who know they need help, but do not need law enforcement? How do we get victims who often refuse help from law enforcement to get the help they so desperately need?

These are questions we as a community need to answer. We know law enforcement takes on a tremendous responsibility of protecting our city, but we need to stop blurring the lines between responding to crime and the mental health needs of our community. By doing so, we can decrease the burden on our law enforcement officers and start getting people the help they need.

I love to travel! In my life I have been on many trips and some of those travels have been road trips. Personally, I have a little bit of an Obsessive-Compulsive behavior when I travel. My ex-boyfriend; who I dated for five years, once said “you are very difficult to travel with!” I do remember a time when the two of us took a small road trip together. It was December 2001 and we were living in Los Angeles, CA at the time, I was living in Sherman Oaks, CA out in the San Fernando Valley. We had been planning a road trip to Las Vegas for a few weeks. The original plan involved me going to work that day, leaving promptly at 5pm, going home to change clothes, and grab a quick bite to eat before we got on the road. This was all supposed to happen in quick succession, and I told him to be ready to go waiting for me at my apartment when I got home from work. I had asked him to pull out my ice chest and put sodas, water, snacks and sandwiches in it so we could eat on our 3-and-a-half-hour journey. Well, when I got home from work, he was there waiting for me but was no where near ready to go. I remember running into my apartment and changing my clothes in my bedroom in less then 10 minutes flat. He on the other hand was going at a snail’s pace with nothing packed in the ice chest.

Finally, after waiting over an hour for him to get ready, we were on the road. I planned on the ice chest being packed because when I am driving to a location I do so with minimal stops. My goal was only stopping once in Barstow and then on to Las Vegas. We were barely outside of the Los Angeles area when my boyfriend tells me he has to go to the bathroom. I remember thinking “REALLY Dude?” We are only in Palmdale! (barely an hour outside of Los Angeles). So, I found a 7–11 and we stopped. I figured well I might as well go too, and we can skip Barstow and drive straight through to Las Vegas. To my amazement I beat him back to the car from the bathroom. However, when I looked up, he was coming out of the store with a giant BIG GULP! Seriously dude! He got into the car and I tell him we are not stopping until we get to Las Vegas. Well long story short we stopped in Barstow, Baker and State Line, NV…and finally Las Vegas. I was very irritated.

You see I get my travelling habits from my father Henry L Wilson Jr. I remember taking road trips as a child and my Dad never wanting to stop. He would always say something along the lines of “you want to get there right?” or “We can spend more time at Disneyland if we do not stop!” Before every trip he and my mother would pack up everyone’s stuff (me and my siblings) and always packed a big ice chest of food. There was always sandwiches, snacks, water and sodas. I can still hear my Dad telling me“go tell your Mom to put some plaits in your hair.” (plaits meaning braids). If we did stop along the way it was only to go to the bathroom (usually a rest area), order food to go and off we went. I remember my Mom trying to eat her food, holding my Dad’s food and making sure the three of us didn’t spill our food.

I remember going to Disneyland; back when you had to buy tickets for the rides…remember the famed “E Ticket.” We packed and were on the road by midnight and would arrive in Anaheim by 6am. We would get breakfast (the only time on the trip that we would actually sit down and eat) before we would go into the park. At the end of the day we would check into our motel and the next morning we would drive north to Universal Studios for the day and then back to the Bay Area. To this day I pride myself that I can drive from Antioch to Anaheim with only one stop, occasionally, two stops.

Another time we drove from San Rafael, CA to Vancouver Canada. We left our house at 3pm and arrived in Canada around 7am the next day. My Dad and Mom probably alternated driving while we all slept in the back of our Toyota station wagon. Thankfully on the way back my Mom convinced my Dad to stop for two nights in Seattle, WA.

My Dad passed away in 2010 from pancreatic cancer. My siblings and I will reminisce about Dad and growing up in our household. Last summer my sister and I were talking about how Dad would never stop when we would take road trips. This was funny to us. We loved traveling with our Dad, but he would never stop. My Mom had overheard our conversation and came in the room and asked us “do you know why you father traveled like that?” My sister and I never really thought about it. My Mom explained that growing up during segregation and civil rights they never knew where they were welcomed when travelling. So, they would pack as much as they could of items that they may need since they never knew when they would stop. When we moved to California in 1971 we drove from the East Coast to our new home in San Rafael. My Mom had informed me even then they still did not know where they could stop that was safe, especially with an 8 year old and a 3 year old. These habits continued and have been passed on to their children.

With the movie The Green Book opening recently has really made me think about my parents and how I take for granted how easily I can travel throughout the country. Although, there have been places that I definitely did not feel welcomed, but not to the extent my parents went through. Imagine, going on a road trip and seeing a sign at a hotel that said, “NO COLOREDS ALLOWED.” Even when I travel back to Greer, South Carolina; my Mom’s hometown, you can still see faint images on the sides of some of the buildings that says, “WHITES ONLY,” a carryover from the segregation. I remember once as a child seeing one of the faint signs on the side of a laundromat and asking my Dad why people could only wash their whites clothes and clothes with colors had to be washed someplace else.

Even today hearing stories of not only people of color but other groups having authorities being called on them because it is perceived that they should not be there or have the right to be in certain areas for more than a certain length of time deeply saddens and troubles me.

A friend of mine who is a member of an all-woman, all LGBTQ band described a situation while on a band tour back in 1998 that reminded me of Green Book once again. The bassist is an African American (at the time with shaved head, tattoos, piercings) woman who is originally from North Carolina living in Oakland now. Their group was traveling across the country playing at different venues. The bassist did not step one foot out of the RV in the States of Alabama and Mississippi due to unspoken segregation laws…this was 1998 but what has changed since then regarding feeling safe while traveling as a woman of color? Especially along the back roads between New Orleans and Athens GA?

I am fortunate to be able to travel throughout my city without being questioned, but I often think if this was a different time or if I did not have the title of City Councilwoman, would I be treated differently? I hope not.

“Why do you run? What got you started running?”- I hear these questions all the time! Along with “You look great- is it because all of that running?”

Starting a running regimen was not easy. At the time I was kind of a couch potato…sort of. It all started in late 2015 early 2016. I was finishing up my first term on City Council for my hometown Antioch CA. When you are an elected official you are invited to a ton of events, fundraisers, speaking engagements, meetings and forums. So, you are active but the one constant at each of these meetings is FOOD! The food is yummy but not always the best when you are trying to watch your calories, so you grab a bite here and a nibble there. It never ends. Also, people are always inviting you to meet over drinks to discuss anything and everything. So, between the eating and the occasional drink I gained a little weight. I was at my yearly doctors’ appointment when she told me that I was pre-diabetic and if I continued down the same road I would have diabetes along with other problems. So, I started to take things seriously.

In the fall of 2016 I decided to get healthy. I have tried different things in the past. Weight Watchers, Boot Camp Style workouts, and a fad diet or two. They didn’t work, or I would lose weight and gain it all back and then some. This time it would be different. I was determined to take control of my health.

The first thing I decided to do was deal with the food piece. My eating was off the chain! Instead of jumping on a fad diet I thought “what are the basics of a healthy meal?” A protein, a fruit and vegetable…oh and water, lots of WATER! I determined what vegetables I liked to eat, then what fruit and then proteins. I made sure first thing in the morning to drink 16 ounces of water with a goal to drink 104 ounces of water a day. Then a healthy breakfast, not just hot tea and a bagel but a meal. My favorite chicken apple sausage, three mandarin oranges, baby carrots and another 16 ounces of water (so 32 ounces water by the time I eat breakfast). All my meals not only breakfast but lunch and dinner are full meals and always includes water. If I want a snack, then that’s fine. Usually a fruit or sometimes some almonds. Here is the tricky part: If I want pizza, then it’s ok to have a slice or two but not the whole pizza. If I want a burrito that’s fine but I do not over indulge. When I start to feel full then I stop, no more stuffing myself.

So, back to this running thing. In 2017 one of my new year’s resolutions was to run a 5K. Simple. I found a 5K happening in Antioch; the Rotary Bunny Hop 5K. I had never run a 5K in my life, so I needed to prepare. As with most things I found an app on my phone that help with training for a 5K. It was great. It eased me into running. I would put my earbuds in and a little voice would tell me when to jog, run, sprint, or walk at different intervals. Pretty soon I was jogging three miles 3–4 days a week. You know what I noticed? I felt good!

The ENDORPHINS! Wow! You know you hear about the runner’s high, but you never really believe it until you experience it. I must confess when I was in High School, I was on the track and field team and loved it. My specialty was the 110 low hurdles. I loved that event! And back then I would get the runner’s high. I had completely forgot about that feeling until two years ago. When you are jogging, the runner’s high comes gradually. The first mile is hard. Your inner voice is telling you to turn around and go home. Your body is hurting, and you are doubting that you can even make it, but you push through it. You breathe the air in deep through your nose and exhale through your mouth. The second mile is interesting because your mind is going over the events of the day. “Ugh! I missed that deadline!” “Whew! I finally finished that report.,” “So and so totally pisses me off!” “OMG, I forgot to finish that report!” Lots of negative thoughts can happen but you push them to the side because they will become a distraction if you are not careful. Then the third and final mile. You made it! That’s when the endorphins kick in full force. You think “wow I just did that, and I feel good!” It was hard in the beginning, but I made it through! When you come off that high whether you did your personal best or had your worst run it is very emotional. You must face it and go through it and deal with those feelings. You cannot hold them back. Whether it is a warrior yell or tears of defeat you must experience it!

After, your first 5K you are addicted. You start looking for others and you start challenging yourself. After I finished my second 5K in Sacramento I decided to compete in a 5K in all 58 counties in California. How did I come up with this challenge? A few friends from college started competing in marathons and decided to run a marathon in every state. I decided to do something similar and little more doable. I know this challenge will take some time to complete but I am enjoying it. So far, I have run in the following counties: Contra Costa, Sacramento, Napa, Alameda, San Francisco and Orange. Last month I was supposed to run the Wonder Woman 5K in Santa Clara County, but before the race I broke my toe and had to be sidelined for 6 weeks. Don’t worry I am now back up and running again.

Next year, I have planned for runs in the following counties: San Diego, San Mateo and Marin. I am also squeezing a 5K in Cabo San Lucas so wish me luck!

So why do I run? I run because it makes me feel good. I run because I enjoy getting out and seeing the different landscapes and communities. I run because it is freeing. We are lucky here in Antioch that we have so much beautiful open space and several great trails and routes to run on. In fact, one of the 5ks that I ran in Antioch was held at the Contra Loma Reservoir here. It was a gorgeous day and it was so fun to have Antioch featured so beautifully.

Running is about perseverance, determination, and pacing yourself. Not too different from running for office. There are a lot of stop and starts, highs and lows, and sprints and marathons so to speak especially as you get closer to voting day. Some days you feel defeated but some days you feel exhilarated and you keep going because the feeling of finishing what you started is a great feeling. I feel passionate about running for office because of the things I want to accomplish for the community and I will keep running on all levels to keep pushing myself forward and to stay focused and free.

I am the first African-American woman elected to the Antioch City Council. This December I will be the longest serving African-American to serve on the City Council in one of California’s oldest cities. Where is Antioch you might ask? It’s the last stop on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) east of San Francisco. Last month I turned 50. Like clockwork, my AARP card and application arrived. So here I am, a fifty year old African American woman and an elected official and I have one question. Where is my party at?

California is known as the State that is forward thinking and forward moving, but when you look at how many African American females are in our State legislature you will find only four. Yes four. California- we are behind. When you hear about groups that promote that they are helping get women elected stop and ask how many women of color they are truly helping or even better how many women of color are they helping outside major metropolitan areas. Areas like the outskirts of the San Francisco Bay Area, or the greater metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento…probably few to none. I don’t want to sound like sour grapes but let’s talk about the fruits of my labor. Here is my story:

I became active in the Democratic Party in 2008. I worked on the Obama campaign and multiple Assembly and Congressional campaigns. I probably walked the length of our State to make sure good Democrats got elected. I would walk on the weekends and during the week I would make phone calls. I gave up many weekends.

So, never in a million years did I ever think I was going to run for office. In fact, if I built a time machine or jumped into my Dr. Who TARDIS and went back ten years and told myself that I would be elected to a public office I would not believe it. I was encouraged to run for City Council back in 2011. My Assemblywoman had asked me to run in fact she encouraged me to run. In the beginning I had my supporters but as time progressed I heard the mumblings “she’s not going to win,” “don’t waste your time on her race,” and “she probably won’t win.” This came from my own party…the Democratic Party. Low and behold I won my race and lots of people had to eat crow. It’s funny how people came up to me afterwards and told me ‘I knew you were going to win.’ My true supporters were there with me. They were out every day (weekends included) rain or shine, helping me knock on doors or getting mail pieces out.

I had moved to Antioch several years earlier and went through the mortgage meltdown personally and had to start over and put my life back together. Antioch and I had a lot in common and I wanted Antioch to know my grit, my tenacity and my dedication. I wanted Antioch to know me and I wanted to know my community. So I walked the streets and I knocked on doors and I introduced myself. I won my first election in 2012.

Well fast forward to 2016. I was encouraged to run for the County Board of Supervisors. I admit I was a little hesitant at first but then I jumped in with both feet. I worked hard. I didn’t win. I brushed myself off. I asked myself- where was the support from those I had worked hard to get elected? Why was there no major support? Not a word, not an explanation about the lack of support. Just silence. What was that all about? I stayed positive and focused. I got back up and I ran for re-election for my City Council seat. I won.

But again where was my party? After the city council re-election race a young Democratic Consultant said to me “I am baffled how you won again. We expected you to lose.”

I am not talking sour grapes but let’s talk about the fruits of my labor. I am Black, I am 50 years old and I have been elected twice to a City Council that has never had an African American woman serve before. Now finally in 2018 Black women are being recognized for their work getting Democrats elected. 94% of us voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. We got a Democrat elected to the Senate in Alabama. We have been there all along walking, making phone calls, organizing, BBQ’ing, knocking on doors, and getting the word out. We are finally being recognized for the work we do for others. Yet, when we run, crickets!

When we run for office, the effort and support is not reciprocated especially on the same level. Where is the help? Where are the organizers for us? Especially those of us running outside major cities.

I love living in California! I love the Bay Area. I love living in East Contra Costa County. We have a beautiful State and I love my community. In East Contra Costa we are often overlooked for County and State resources given West County gets more attention being closer to Oakland and San Francisco but Antioch is gaining in population and there’s a reason we are known as the community that cares.

I hear all the time “California is leading the way,” “The blue wave of California.” In a recent report The Chisholm Effect: Black Women in American Politics 2018, California ranks 20th for Black women in the State Legislature. Yes 20th. We currently only have four…yes four! One in the State Senate and three in the Assembly. We have one in Statewide Executive office. A few States that are ahead of California: Georgia, Maryland, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Louisiana. All of the Deep South is way ahead of California! In this situation, perception is NOT reality.

So here I am Black, 50 years old, elected in the suburbs. Please don’t get me wrong I am happy for my sisters doing well from our major cities. I am beyond happy and proud because they do give me some hope. They are showing us it can be done. What I want to point out is do not forget about our women out in the smaller towns and less urban areas. Don’t forget about those of us in the Central Valley, and the northernmost part of the State. Don’t forget about Rhodesia Ransom in Tracy, Lori Wilson in Suisun or Claudette Stanton, the first African American woman elected to the City Council in Brentwood, a smaller city to the south of Antioch.

What do we do? We need to stop and recognize. We need to look to these women who have proven that they can work on successful campaigns and can run for office and win with little to no help from the State or National Party. We need to support women who stand up on their own and let their voices be heard when the entire chamber is against them. If we want to strengthen our numbers these Black sisters are our brave warriors. We have been here all this time wanting help and support. We don’t need a handout, we need a hand. We need some support from established power structures. We want the same things and have the same dreams. We want safe communities and safe drinking water. We want economic equity and opportunity. We want to see our youth thrive, succeed and have great schools and see our veterans be treated like the heroes they are. We want restorative justice for those entering back into society from the penal system who strive to better themselves and get a second chance and where a community police force are community partners and not enemies. We want fair wages and a decent job and to be able to afford healthcare and see our seniors spend their golden years feeling secure and supported and not scared and alone. We want a community free of predators that take advantage of vulnerable populations with labor and sex trafficking. As Shirley Chisholm once said- ‘if they don’t offer you a seat at the table, then bring a folding chair.’ It’s time to be seated at the table. We have been working hard this whole time and we are ready to run. Where is my party?