Antioch Mayor Thorpe says he stands by his actions at Tuesday's city council meeting, saying he was not going to allow a public speaker to 'hijack the experiences of so many residents who expressed concerns with the police department and racism.'
"We are going to start with culture and specifically look at internal affairs. Our hiring and promoting practices. As well as an equity audit of the police department. And that will kind of be the first step in delving into the culture," explains Thorpe.. At one point, Mayor Thorpe stood up and challenged a public speaker. The mayor was criticized for his threatening outburst. But Thorpe says he stands by his actions.
"I wasn't going to allow him to hijack the experiences of so many residents who expressed concerns with the police department and racism. And biased policing. I was going to stand up to that. I don't care what it looked like," says Thorpe. During a live interview on our 3 p.m. show 'Getting Answers,' the mayor used a racial slur which he later told ABC7 News he used intentionally to emphasize the impact of the word. For that reason, ABC7 News is not censoring the interview.
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