ANTIOCH – An Antioch police oversight commissioner has resigned following allegations of “several contentious interactions” with city officials and a councilmember’s call for her resignation.
Leslie May, who stepped down from the commission on Monday, faced backlash after using what the city described as “several racist epithets” to describe Antioch City Manager Bessie Marie Scott and former City Attorney Thomas Lloyd Smith, both Black, during a special council meeting on Jan. 17. May, appointed to the commission in February 2024, had spoken in support of Smith during the meeting to decide his role. Smith resigned the same day.
May, who is also Black, said her words were misconstrued, adding she did not call Scott and Smith “names” but was merely repeating a statement from a book called “The Mis-Education of the Negro” by Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson.
“The White people, they’ve been doing this for years, and I said they will pit Black people against each other because they want to see a fight,” May told this news organization. “They do not want the Black people in this community to stand together and fight for our rights.”
District 3 Councilmember Donald Freitas, who is White, has called for the council to consider her removal as commissioner during a regular meeting Tuesday.
“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,” the city stated in a press release on Monday.
At last month’s special meeting, May said she was representing herself and “Re-imagine Antioch,” a public safety group, while quoting Bible scriptures. She criticized some councilmembers, adding she was tired of the “plot of destruction” against Black residents, elected officials, and staff in Antioch.
“You knew what you were gonna do, you gonna pit these two Black people against, like what 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,” said May during public comment on Jan. 17. “The light n**** against the dark. We’re sick of this. I’m calling it.”
On Jan. 28, Freitas, without naming May, said she owed Scott, the council, and the community an apology for her actions. Freitas also urged her to resign from the commission and for the city to formulate a code of conduct for elected and appointed members.
Freitas said he found the incident “very troubling” because a “particular individual” had used derogatory terms toward Scott and Smith.
“What was most troubling was that when we adjourned and got into the elevator to the third floor to conduct our closed session, the city manager (Scott) was in tears. That’s not acceptable,” said Freitas.
He added that the “particular individual” is supposed to monitor the behavior of police officers, especially with issues related to racism.
“It is unacceptable in any form to use the word the N-word, not once, not twice, but directed to the city manager and the then city attorney,” said Freitas. “I personally believe this individual owes an apology to the city manager, to this council, and to this community, and I would strongly recommend that she resign from the police oversight committee.”
The police oversight commission was introduced by former Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe as one of several proposed reforms in 2021 following FBI investigations of racism within the Antioch Police Department. At the time, the council voted to appoint itself as an interim independent oversight committee with the possibility of forming a civilian-led commission at a later date. In 2022, a commission made up of residents was created.
May said she submitted her resignation following lengthy discussions with family members, adding she had always been targeted by “racist attacks” prior to her appointment as a commissioner.
“There have been threats of death and harm on me. The two tabloids allowed (people) to criticize me, talk about my face and body,” May said. “That was before I was appointed. After that, the threats and vitriol exploded.”
May said threats she has received have taken a toll on her physical and mental health.
“I’m happy with myself. A title doesn’t make Leslie May. My years of work and what I’ve given to the community makes me who I am,” said May. “I’m at peace. I can do my work, speak freely, and don’t need to worry about people monitoring my words.”
Porsche Taylor, chairperson for the police oversight commission, said May’s resignation came as a surprise. However, she said she respects and accepts May’s decision.
“The commission’s duties are critically important, and it is essential that we have commissioners who are completely unbiased,” said Taylor in a message to this news organization. “I believe all current commissioners are eager to move forward from the incidents involving Ms. Leslie May and refocus on what truly matters – fulfilling our responsibilities as an oversight body.”
Taylor addressed the matter during a meeting on Feb. 3 and apologized to the community on behalf of the committee.
“We are here to ensure accountability, transparency, and fairness in matters of policing. The responsibility requires us to uphold the highest ethical standard and conduct ourselves without bias or prejudice. Any deviation from this standard not only discredits the hard work we put in as commissioners but also threatens the progress we strive to achieve,” said Taylor.
She moved to implement an “agreement of etiquette” for all commissioners to ensure their conduct aligns with the mission and values outlined in the ordinance.
“The commission’s work is far too important for it to be overshadowed by simple bad decisions, and I will not allow it to deter us from the mission at hand,” said Taylor.
Councilmember Tamisha Torres-Walker defended May during the Feb. 3 meeting, saying it was the commission’s duty not to push the “political rhetoric” of individuals in the city.
“Commissioner May, I know what it feels like to speak plainly, and I know what it feels like to be attacked for that because we want to find comfort in the white gaze. We want to find comfort in respectability politics, and we want to demonize those who speak plainly based on their experience and the history that they know, which is American history,” said Torres-Walker. “The history of the house slave and the field slave is American history. And as we sit here in Black History Month, we should acknowledge that the history of slavery is not Black history, it is American history.”
City staff was directed to develop an agreement on etiquette before April.