Orange County residents demand accountability after Garden Grove chemical incident: "Shut it down"
Emotions ran high at an emergency city council meeting in Garden Grove on Tuesday night, where residents gathered to demand accountability after being evacuated from their homes for nearly a week due to an ongoing chemical crisis at an aerospace facility.
The meeting came at the same time that all of the evacuation orders were finally lifted, six days after first responders were alerted to a possible chemical leak at GKN Aerospace, where a cracked tank containing a toxic material called methyl methacrylate, was at risk of exploding or leaking and putting residents in danger.
"Shut it down!" one resident exclaimed at the end of their comment during the meeting.
The statement was met with raucous cheers after a stressful and uneasy week in Garden Grove. Just 48 hours prior, 50,000 people from the communities of Garden Grove, Anaheim, Westminster, Cypress, Buena Park and Stanton, still remained under mandatory evacuation orders due to the chemical crisis.
"It's shocking to me that a company using MMA for manufacturing was allowed into such a populated area," another resident said during the meeting.
It was the same sentiment shared by nearly every person that stepped up to the microphone, with speakers sharing stories of confusion, fear and frustration. They demanded more from local leaders for what many described as a failure to properly protect their residents.
"Everywhere I went that night, and the days after, it was heartbreak after heartbreak," said one woman. "There is a lot more the city, and the state, and the government should have done for these people."
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Though Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein doubled down on demands for accountability, she wasn't spared from the anger of some residents.
"It is the responsibility of every single member on this council to do everything in your power to ensure that GKN is held accountable," said one speaker.
Orange County leaders have already initiated action and launched an investigation into GKN Aerospace, as District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced an open probe into the company. He's asked anyone working there, who wishes to be a whistleblower over illegal conduct or misdoings, to come forward.
Despite evacuations having been lifted, Orange County Fire Authority crews and emergency personnel said they would still be working around to clock to bring the crisis to a full resolution.
