The police department of Antioch, which is a small town with a very small population in California, was revealed to be abounding with racism after an investigation by prosecutors publicized texts of these officers directing racial slurs against Black people and bragging about beating them up.  

The investigation was reportedly initiated under the pretext of "crimes of moral turpitude."

Large-scale protests by 115,000 locals were sparked shortly after the racist texts were made public by the prosecutors investigating the Antioch police

The Contra Costa County prosecutors said they will be reviewing hundreds of cases investigated by Antioch police to assess whether they should be dismissed as compromised by racist motives. 

US #policebrutality hit a new record in 2022 as it killed 1,183 people, with data showing that there were killings on 353 days last year.

However, weirdly enough, reports about police brutality and inhumane treatment don't seem to flood the internet and news channels.#USA pic.twitter.com/YL11GbO5au

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 10, 2023

44 of the 99 personnel in the department were on the text threads. Antioch Police Chief Steven Ford said 20 officers have been put on leave following the release of the racist texts. The police personnel involved in the racist texts occupied different positions in the police hierarchy. 

Police leaders say that this is just a fraction of officers across the nation who have been caught up in similar scandals.

Following the nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd, many police critics have been contending that racist views held by some police officers are driving many racially motivated police brutality incidents. 

Some of the texts included one sergeant saying “I’ll bury that n—— in my fields," an officer sending graphic photos of injured suspects in their hospital beds, bragging about how he had hurt them, one said his traffic stops were racially motivated writing “only stopping them cuz they black. F—- them. Kill each other," and many other officers were recorded referring to Black people as "gorillas". 

Read more: Video shows US police killing man after responding to wrong address

Two weeks ago, legislation that expressed support for law enforcement passed in the US House of Representatives amid condemnations of efforts to defund police departments.

The resolution passed with 301 representatives voting for, 119 voting against, and 3 abstentions. According to the text, the bill “recognizes and appreciates” the dedication of local law enforcement officers, while it condemned calls to “defund, disband, dismantle, or abolish” police departments, citing purported defunding attempts by “leftist activists and progressive politicians.”

Prior to its approval, the House included language acknowledging that police should have access to legal counsel and resources during investigations into allegations of wrongdoing and urging states to enact a "Bill of Rights" to safeguard law enforcement. This comes as US residents have in recent years faced increased police brutality and racial profiling.