San Angelo law enforcement spouses group wants Richardson to go
SAN ANGELO — The San Angelo Law Enforcement Spouses Association has called for the immediate resignation or removal of Single Member District 1 City Council member Bill Richardson following a social media post by Richardson over the weekend.
According to the association, Richardson on a group Facebook page called for "non-Hispanic" residents to keep a record of their encounters with Hispanic law enforcement officers.
"My husband is an officer. All he (Richardson) is doing is making my husband's job harder and more unsafe with his incendiary comments," said Michelle Martin, a founding member of the association.
Richardson's post, circulated by the association as an email attachment, said, "I have had this sentiment expressed to me by other San Angelo citizens. Yesterday I had an encounter with a 'Hispanic' SAPD officer after I called SAPD dispatch about a problem with a 'Hispanic' neighbor. I asked for help from the SAPD yesterday. One of the officers was 'Hispanic'. His attitude was rude and disrespectful and I believe to be physically threatening."
A subsequent post read, "I am asking non-'Hispanic': citizens of San Angelo to keep a written record of their encounters with (sic) 'Hispanic' police officers." The encounter between Richardson and two officers happened Saturday afternoon, Feb. 18.
San Angelo Police Chief Frank Carter posted a response with instructions to Richardson on filing a complaint, but Richardson replied, "I stick with my original statement."
Martin, who became aware of the post through a friend and started following it, found Richardson's exchange with the chief upsetting because she said it made it clear that the offensive posts "weren't mistakes."
"That's my family he's talking about. That's unacceptable." ~ Michelle Martin with the San Angelo Law Enforcement Spouses Association.
Carter said later in a new release Monday afternoon, Feb 20, that the comments Richardson posted were inflammatory and accomplished nothing except fracture police relationship with the community.
"Our community is diverse, just like the Officers who make up this Department," Carter wrote. "As a Department, we will continue to police this community in a professional manner, treating all citizens with respect regardless of their race, color, religion, creed, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, or disability."
Carter said he holds his officers to high standards and expects professionalism from them, adding that the department has not received a formal complaint from Richardson regarding the officers' conduct.
Carter said that the audio recording between Richardson and the two officers is under review.
"We are working with City Legal regarding the release of the audio recording in an effort to ensure public transparency and police accountability," Carter said. "At a time when police officer line-of-duty deaths are at an all-time high, it is vital that we continue to strive for unity and to build solid relationships with the public we serve."
Mayor Dwain Morrison, when asked for his reaction to Richardson's postings, expressed indignation and noted the city has provisions for removing council members through a petition and recall ballot.
"I agree 100% with the wives about the inappropriateness of his comments," the mayor wrote in an email this morning. "We are enjoying unity and harmony between the races in San Angelo now better than I can ever remember — and we must protect this harmony. Every person in our City has value and merits respect. His words do nothing but unnecessarily inflame old prejudices and I am appalled by his comments. The Charter gives the citizens the right to legally remove a Council member by collecting signatures and placing the recall on the ballot. This may just be the issue that angers people enough to act."
Councilman Richardson said he tried to call the mayor after reading his statement, but was unable to reach him.
"It was just a statement I made to my Facebook friends on my Facebook page," Richardson said, adding that he's deleted his original post since then. "I was frustrated."
He said his altercation with his neighbors started with the placement of basketball hoop in an unauthorized area — on a city easement, and he was concerned about the neighbors children and pets running around on the street. "I consider what they're doing there extremely dangerous," he said.
Richardson said the police visited him at home twice in one day and informed him that he shouldn't go over to his neighbors because they were charging him with criminal trespassing. He was sitting at home and watching television at the time.
After his Facebook posts, Richardson said an officer from the SAPD contacted him and asked him if he wanted to file an official complaint. "I said no because people can have bad days. Maybe the officer was having a bad day," he said.
This is not the first time Richardson has got into trouble for his social media posting. In June 2016, he caused quite a stir with a Facebook post about the Craig Partusch Memorial Drag Boat Races Showdown in San Angelo. To read that story, click this link.
A statement was issued early Monday morning by the San Angelo Law Enforcement Spouses Association which read in part:
Councilman Richardson’s recent public comments on social media that called for “non-Hispanic” members of our community to document their interactions with “Hispanic” SAPD officers are dangerous and deeply troubling for our city and our police community for many reasons.
Mr. Richardson’s justification for his actions, based on his interpretation of interactions with a Hispanic SAPD officer who was responding to his call to SAPD dispatch about a Hispanic neighbor, are beyond the pale for any elected official.
Even when Police Chief Frank Carter responded publicly on social media with the appropriate means of action for any such complaint, Mr. Richardson said he “will stick with my original statement.”
It is obvious to us that Mr. Richardson’s actions indicate he is more interested in publicly drubbing up racial tensions between our police department and citizens than he is in representing his constituents and the City as a whole.
Any elected official attempting to deepen racial divides is inexcusable; to do so with our police is reprehensible. There is no doubt to us, and many in the San Angelo, that Mr. Richardson’s statements serve to incite racism in our community and, at worst, could result in palpable threats and potential violence against some of our sworn law enforcement officers – our husbands and wives – based on the color of their skin.
Mr. Richardson's actions are childish, and only reinforce a trend he has perpetuated on social media before and since he was elected to Single Member District 1’s council seat. He certainly does not represent the standards of public service and leadership that our city should demand.
Councilman Richardson must resign his seat on the San Angelo City Council immediately. Should he choose to not do so, the San Angelo Law Enforcement Spouses Association will do everything within its power in SMD 1 to remove him from office via recall, as per Section 48 of the San Angelo City Charter.
"I don't think a man who's supposed to be supporting an entire (section of the) city should be anti-police officers. They need all the support they can get," Martin said, adding that she and other members of the San Angelo Law Enforcement Spouses Association plan to attend the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 21, and ask for Councilman Richardson's resignation.
That, Martin said, was the first step make Richardson realize they were serious. The association is ready to take further steps. "We're prepared to do whatever it takes to get this done," she said.
Daniel Valenzuela, city manager, said the council can't simply vote Richardson out. "Because he's an elected official, this has to go back to his constituents in his district," he said. "Otherwise, it's like telling the constituents that their vote doesn't matter."
Rodney Fleming, who represented Richardson's district for two terms, contacted the association and offered his help.
Fleming made a Facebook post explaining that "The first step is getting 600+ signatures from district #1,then council will have to have a 6-0 vote to appoint someone temporarily until a vote could be done probably in November," he wrote. During a phone interview Fleming said he's already asked the city for the required paperwork and is confident that with some time, effort and volunteer help it could be done.
"I'm doing this because I care about the district I live in," Fleming said, adding that his time on city council was more than enough. "I am not trying to come back and I don't have any political aspirations. But the man (Richardson) is an embarrassment to our city and our district."
Martin said anyone interested in volunteering to help could check out the association's Facebook page or call her at 325-340-7365
People wanting to commend an officer or file a complaint or inquire about the SAPD’s racial profiling reports, should visit this link.
San Angelo Standard-Times Staff Michael Kelly, Rashda Khan, John Tufts, and Ngan Ho contributed to this report.
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