Hagåtña, Guam – Governor Lou Leon Guerrero and Lieutenant Governor Joshua Tenorio called for an emergency meeting this morning to address safety concerns following news of a terrifying attack near the University of Guam campus in Mangilao last night.
Present at today’s meeting were Guam Police Department Chief of Police Steve Ignacio, Public Safety Chairman Senator Jose “Pedo” Terlaje, Senator Clynt Ridgell, Mayors Council of Guam President Melissa Savares, Mangilao Mayor Allan Ungacta, Barrigada Mayor June Blas, Barrigada Vice Mayor Jessie Bautista, Asan/Maina Mayor Frankie Salas, Talofofo Mayor Vicente Taitague, FSM Consul General Theresa Filipin, Palau Consul General Vic April, and FSM Association of Guam President Casanova Nakamura.
“I want to be very clear that my concern for the safety of our community remains high. What happened last night and the terror it caused among our people, especially to those in the village of Mangilao and surrounding areas, is unacceptable. Because I was concerned for the safety of our community, I immediately called for an emergency meeting with various stakeholders to address the situation and to collaborate on solutions to what is clearly a community-wide problem. The challenges we face are serious,” said Governor Leon Guerrero. “Although some of us may rush to judgment and may want to lay blame on a particular race, ethnicity, or nationality, I believe we should instead focus on finding the root cause of these growing problems and work together as a community to address it. I believe that we should all be a part of the solution. We all want to live in a safe and prosperous society. We all want to be able to walk to our cars or our bus stops without fear or go to bed at night without worrying that someone might break into our homes. I am asking the community to focus on what’s important. Together, we must find solutions to stem the tide of violence and crime, provide all who visit and live on our island with a safe environment, hold criminals and repeat offenders responsible, and get our villages, neighborhoods and families involved in being a part of the positive change we all want to see in our community.”
Lieutenant Governor Tenorio added: “We will begin to address these issues by meeting with stakeholders at the village level, starting in Mangilao. As leaders, we recognize that a problem exists and will lead the effort to find a solution. We exchanged some great ideas and engaged in productive discussion about how best to approach this so I want to thank everyone for coming to the table.”