A notice from the city of Antioch cited “contentious interactions with city leaders” as the reason for an Antioch Police Oversight Commissioner’s resignation Monday.
But Leslie D. May — a 73-year-old Black woman — said the resignation followed numerous attacks on her property and other threats; due to investigations, she is not able to give specifics.
“The dangerous attacks against me have increased since my appointment and most recently fueled by Councilmember Don Freitas calling for my resignation due to a cultural misunderstanding,” May wrote in a letter that was sent to the Antioch City Council and law enforcement and shared with a reporter Monday.
The “cultural misunderstanding” references a Jan. 17 City Council meeting in which May said certain members of the council were pitting Black people in the local government against one another “like they used to do back in slavery.”
“We have the field n****** and the house n****** and you put them against each other because of the color of their skin; the light n***** against the dark n*****. We’re sick of this,” May said at the January meeting. “I’m calling it. I speak straight from the heart. I’m sick of seeing this; you’re dividing people.”
Historical context
During interviews with a reporter, both May and Councilmember Tamisha Torres-Walker called the statements a historical reference, not a racist attack.
“She is a 73-year-old Black woman, which means she has experienced the racism and the attacks on Black people in a way that somebody younger than myself has probably never experienced before,” said Torres-Walker. “She has a long memory and is unwilling to forget history. When I heard her statement, I heard her referencing how in the past, Black people have been pitted against each other using a reference from slavery.”
The statement released from the city said that May’s announcement to step down followed several contentious interactions with city leaders, including at the January meeting.
“The City of Antioch will not tolerate racist behavior or language from any city employee or representative of our city. We are committed to creating a culture of inclusivity, professionalism, respect, and accountability.” City of Antioch statement
“During the special council meeting, May used several racist epithets to describe the Antioch City Manager and former City Attorney,” reads the announcement. “District 3 Councilman Donald Freitas had called for the council to consider her removal as commissioner during its next regular meeting on February 11. The City of Antioch will not tolerate racist behavior or language from any city employee or representative of our city. We are committed to creating a culture of inclusivity, professionalism, respect, and accountability.”
Freitas, Mayor Ron Bernal and the city manager’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
While Torres-Walker said she couldn’t speak to any interactions during closed session meetings, she said people of color and poor people in general voicing opinions and demanding change are often called “contentious.”
“It is our role as elected leaders to hear those voices and do something about the challenges,” Torres-Walker continued.
‘I will continue my advocacy and activism’
During an interview with a reporter, May, a mental health therapist, commended the Antioch Police Department for its work in rebuilding trust in the community, highlighting the kindness she has seen from officers who have worked directly with her and clients. The department was at the center of a 2023 FBI investigation that uncovered civil rights violations, fraud, conspiracy to distribute steroids and destruction of evidence. Her letter to the council highlighted the role she had on the Antioch Police Oversight Commission in reviewing the budget, policies, practices and procedures.
“I have made credible recommendations like increasing mental health services for officers, increasing staff to meet these needs with a sense of urgency, and increased community engagement in our highest needs communities to foster trust and transparency,” her letter stated.
May said she has marched for civil rights since she was 8 years old — in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, Georgia, the Carolinas, with Ceasar Chavez and the farmworkers, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson, and more.
While she said she needed to step down from the commission for her own mental health, she concluded, “I can assure the city of Antioch and all my supporters that I will continue my advocacy and activism as a private citizen uninhibited by bureaucracy and the status quo.”