From left to right: Steve White, Sheila White, Jen McVicker, Brittney Gougeon, Donna Wilson, Larry Treat, Kenji Freitas and Dena Jeglum

The “core” TBA group is made up of a few dedicated Antioch residents from all walks of life:

Brittney Gougeon
Brittney was born and raised in Peachtree City, Georgia. She is descended from five generations of entrepreneurs, and has her own graphics design business. Brittney attended college at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada and moved to Antioch in 2008. She has a history as a community activist and founded Take Back Antioch because she saw a need for creating positive solutions to the problems that were arising. A car was vandalized in her driveway on Christmas Day, for example, burglars attempted to break into her house, and a homicide took place within walking distance of her home. The safe, beautiful Antioch that had attracted her had slipped away, so she decided to take it back. “I can’t do anything that doesn’t involve service for others,” she says.

Dena Jeglum
Dena has professional backgrounds in public relations, support team development, sales, auditing, and networking. She has worked to connect people with each other and with resources. Dena is a California Native, born on Camp Pendleton Marine Base where such characteristics as honor, integrity, and loyalty were instilled at young age. Dena has been an Antioch resident for 22 years and is currently serving the community as a mentor, women and couples ministry facilitator, team builder, neighborhood watch block captain, and a volunteer with the Contra Costa Ministers Conference. Dena is an advocate of law enforcement and crime prevention — and of empowering others through sharing of resources and training. She works collaboratively to cultivate shared responsibility as well as investigate and promote positive sustainable solutions. She seeks to unite the Antioch community through volunteerism.

Donna Wilson
Donna has lived in Antioch for 15 years and has been dedicated to urban reform since 2006 when her son became a victim of a senseless act of violence at a high school football game, transforming Donna into a mother with a mission. She became a member of the United Citizens for Better Neighborhoods (UCBN) and was appointed by the mayor as a commissioner on Antioch’s Crime Prevention Commission. In 2009, Donna received the Citizen Service Citation from Chief Hyde. Donna vows to help make a difference in the quality of life in the community and has become an advocate for community involvement and safety awareness. She is passing on to the next generation her passion. “I enjoy spending time with my family,” she says, “and of course volunteering them for everything.”

Jennifer McVicker
Jennifer is a California native, born in Long Beach, and raised in Livermore.  She became a web developer in 1996, and moved to Antioch in 2003. She is a homeowner, married with two middle-school-age children. She became friends with Brittney in 2008, and is helping promote TBA on the Internet, drawing upon a rich experience in creating politically active websites. Jennifer has been dismayed by the decline of the city during the past few years and is working to make the community a safer place. “If we don’t do it, who will?” she asks.

Kenji Freitas
Kenji is a native of Yokahama Japan, who lived in Hawaii for several years, moved to Antioch in 1966, and graduated from Antioch High.  He earned a degree in Biological Sciences from Los Medanos College, and later went on to earn a Computer Science degree from Heald College.  He now works as an IT specialist in Health Services. He is also an artist, creating paintings and designing tattoos. Kenji remembers when Antioch residents could leave their front doors unlocked and the windows of their cars rolled down. He wants to help take back the city so that children and senior citizens can feel safe when walking down the street. “I want this to be a great city once again,” Kenji says. If he and TBA have their way, it will be.

Larry Treat
Larry is married with a 14-year old daughter and is the owner of a private security organization. He moved here from Castro Valley a dozen years ago because he found Antioch to be a nice, safe, affordable community. In those days, the city was beautiful and was the kind of place he wanted his daughter to grow up in. Larry became dismayed by the decline that he witnessed during the past several years — beginning with isolated incidents that he could discount, but eventually becoming too frequent and too severe to be ignored any longer. Larry considered moving to another community but decided to stay in Antioch instead, and to do what he could to address community problems and restore the city to its former admirable high quality of life. He served Uncle Sam in the Marine Corps. “There’s no such thing as a former Marine,” they say, and Larry carries the corps’ “unbending code of honor,” into his efforts to take Antioch back from the unworthy people who are apparently trying to take control of it.

Sheila White
Sheila is the owner of The Red Caboose Restaurant. She is wife, mother, grandmother, and has been an Antioch resident for more than four decades. She has experienced Antioch society as a medical assistant, business owner, home owner, landlord, patriotic supporter, and voter. She is putting her whole heart into Take Back Antioch because of her desire to create a safe place for all Antioch residents, and especially making it a good place in which her grandchildren can be raised.

Steve White
Steve has spent his life in Antioch, being born here and graduating from Antioch High School. He is now devoting himself to providing an excellent home and family environment for his children as well as doing what he can to raise the quality of life in his hometown in order to ensure that his kids — and all Antioch children — have the opportunity to be raised in a safe and nurturing community. Steve is an enthusiastic and dedicated Take Back Antioch volunteer, with a passion to make his town the best community possible.