City statement on protests, justice

The following statement was issued Monday by the City of Garden Grove:

As cities across the nation, including a handful in Orange County, deal with mass protests following the controversial death of George Floyd by Minnesota police officers, Garden Grove focuses on the importance of respecting diversity in all forms and maintaining positive police relationships in the community.

“Garden Grove is a city of compassion with deep respect for the social diversity that underpins the foundation of our community. Nearly 200,000 people of differing backgrounds, beliefs, and opinions enjoy living together in peace and harmony within our city limits. Most importantly, we cherish the overwhelmingly positive relationship between our police department and the community, which we consider a unique and valued honor, especially in light of what we see happening around the nation,” said Garden Grove Mayor Steve Jones.

Since the early 1990s, the Garden Grove Police Department has exercised a Community Policing philosophy to achieve deeper trust and understanding between police and the community, that has been the basis for maintaining peace and public safety for decades.

“Our long-standing partnership with the community includes respecting their right to self-expression and allowing the appropriate arena to exercise that right.  On the flip side, we expect the community to maintain lawfulness so we can keep them and everyone else safe,” said Garden Grove Police Chief Tom DaRé.

Garden Grove City Manager Scott Stiles underscores the importance of City and community working together.

“Despite the challenging times we’re facing, I have tremendous trust in our community, our City staff, and in our public safety personnel to always work together for the betterment and well-being of Garden Grove.”