Full Notification

The nationwide protests in the aftermath of George Floyd’s tragic death at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Officers have affected all of us. Understandably, there is a lot of anger, grief, and sadness. Most of these protests have been peaceful and we have witnessed the positive power of democracy in action in communities across our great nation.

Tomorrow, at the corner of Sycamore and Cochran St. in Simi Valley, our community has the opportunity to add its voice to the expression of the democratic principles we all cherish. While we as citizens may not always agree with one another, we can certainly agree to respect the opinions, values, and perspectives of our fellow community members even though they may not be the same as ours.

In the past few days, I have met so many wonderful people in our community that have reached out to offer their assistance. I am extremely grateful for their support and value their leadership. I have also met with the courageous young woman who is organizing tomorrow’s march and I am impressed with her desire to make a difference in her community. We should all be proud that our children are willing to speak out against injustices. Real change does not happen overnight. It takes time and effort, but throughout our history, we have seen the power of one voice.

Sadly, over the last few days, we have also seen the negative impacts of social media content in our community. Posts that have called for violence, mocking those like this courageous young woman who want to exercise their Constitutional right to free speech and threatening criminal behavior. These posts are deplorable and do not reflect the majority of good people in our community.

The women and men of the Simi Valley Police Department are here to keep the peace so everyone can safely exercise their Constitutional rights. We have some of the finest Police Officers in the nation and I am proud of the work they do each day. Law Enforcement is not an easy job, but I know firsthand that our officers care deeply about the community and it shows in their service. We all have a stake in ensuring that tomorrow’s march shows the best our community has to offer.

While we believe this event will be peaceful, we will not tolerate criminal behavior of any kind. We stand ready with our law enforcement partners in Ventura County so that our citizens can safely participate in public protests. The right to do so is part of the very fabric of our democratic nation. If you do not want to contribute positively to tomorrow’s events, we ask that you stay home.

Thank you for your support.

Chief David Livingstone