Living and growing up in Antioch often a tale of two cities

ANTIOCH -- Kirkland Smith and Allen Payton both moved to Antioch looking for the good life, but their experiences since have been very different.

Smith moved to Antioch back in 1995 looking to escape the city and find a nice area where his young kids could grow up.

"At that time there was supposedly a strong school system," Smith said. "I had little kids so it was a pretty easy decision to make. Smaller class sizes and we thought a greater opportunity for a small young family."

Around that same time, Payton had just been elected to Antioch's city council.

"That's the picture from the night I was elected in 94 and served for four years and then I chose to run for state assembly instead of reelection and I got beat bad," said Payton.

Over the years Kirkland and Allen became good friends. Kirkland became the pastor of a local church. After his political career, Allen started a local newspaper.

In 2018, they opened a restaurant together in downtown Antioch called the Solid Rock Cafe.

But through all those years of friendship, Allen and Kirkland had very different experiences living in the town.

"Antioch was what they used to call a sundown town where people of color in particular were not welcome in this town and very few, I mean we've been here 28 years, when we first came there were very few people of color," Smith said.

Kirkland says he's heard countless stories over the years of people of color having uncomfortable experiences with Antioch police officers including from his own kids.

That's why when an FBI investigation uncovered a barrage of racist text messages sent by over a dozen Antioch police officers in the last few years, Kirkland wasn't surprised.

"Because there's been an overture of hate and an overture of ignorance and bitterness and division in this city for a long time," Smith said.

Allen says he's also had a few tense run-ins with police over the years but he was still shocked to learn just how many officers were involved in this scandal.

"To me, it's like come on, are you serious, 2019 to 2022 this is going on?" he said. "I mean you had the whole issue with George Floyd and the whole Black Lives Matter movement. We had some marches here on this street and really guys? You're still talking like this even thinking like this? That's just ridiculous."

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Kirkland says the text messages just confirmed what many residents of color suspected for years.

"It was alarming. It was great anger, but it was also an exhilaration and excitement that it was revealed and now we can get some of those bad men out," Smith said.

Kirkland said he knows that change will take time but he is happy the community is finally talking about the problem out in the open.

"One thing I'm a true believer of, when you have experienced mess for a long time, mess doesn't dissipate or go away overnight," Smith said. "It's going to be a period of time. And I think even in our community, talking about it is healing and a lot of people here are talking." 

"And people are recognizing what others go through. In fact, that was one of my thoughts. When that officer acted over-aggressively towards my sister and myself on a stop sign violation, I'm thinking you know what, I'm a white guy and if this is happening to me I wonder what's happening to other people of color," Payton said.

Even Allen and Kirkland who have been friends all these years say this controversy has made them discuss race and discrimination with each other in ways they never have and that is something both say they're grateful for.

"I think we're on pretty much the same side. We don't have the same perspective or background but we're on the same side. We want to see healing happen in our community," said Payton.

"I agree. I think it starts with what's in here, you know what lives and resides in here," said Smith.

Allen and Kirkland say they came to Antioch looking for a good life.

They found a good friend in each other and even during hard times like this they say they're not giving up on the town that all those years ago they chose to call home.