Community News

CALLS FOR ACTION FOLLOWING RECENT HATE CRIMES

BLACK-OWNED BUSINESS, HARRIET TUBMAN SCHOOL VANDALIZED OVER THE WEEKEND

ABBY GREEN

Michael Andrade has the same routine every Sunday.

While the restaurant he owns, the Caribbean Eatery, is closed to the public that day, he still shows up there each week by himself to make patties. Those patties are destined for Southridge Community Church.

But when he showed up to the Lake Street restaurant this past Sunday, his solitude was shattered by an act of vandalism. Racial epithets and other symbols had been spray painted across a vehicle that was parked in front of his restaurant.

Andrade, who has owned the eatery for more than 20 years without incident, said he was shocked and didn't really know what to do.

He called Niagara Regional police, but said he was told they couldn't immediately do anything because no one knew who owned the tagged car.

When Andrade got home later that day, he heard his children talking about another act of vandalism that had occurred at Harriet Tubman Public School, not too far from the restaurant on Henry Street.

"That's when I realized this wasn't neighbours or something," he said. "This was a whole different thing."

Saleh Waziruddin, chair of the St. Catharines AntiRacism Advisory Committee, said this attack and the vandalism at the school are just examples of the worsening situation in the city.

"I think there's a danger that this kind of environment of where there's hate speech and hate signs, it's a precursor to physical violence," he said. "There's a danger that it's not just words, that people's lives are going to be destroyed ... people can't think this is going to blow over. People need to get involved."

In a statement posted to social media, St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik said this weekend was "not a high point for our city."

"Not only was Harriet Tubman School vandalized with racist and homophobic slurs, but also surrounding areas, including a Black-owned business," he said. "The words used are charged with white supremacy thinking. Whether it was a lone person or a group of people — the actions point to a poisonous way of thinking."

Sendzik said he spoke with Niagara Regional Police Services Chief Bryan MacCulloch about the alarming increase of hate crimes across the region.

"When these despicable acts take place, we need to not only call it out forcefully but also show support to those impacted by the hatefuelled vandalism," he said.

Andrade said he's never experienced anything like this in his business' 20 years.

"I didn't know how to deal with it," he said. "My kids work for me and grandkids play around with me ... my grandkids had to see all the racial slurs written on the vehicle, and I have one granddaughter who goes to Harriet Tubman, so she got a double dose."

Anyone with information about this weekend's acts of vandalism can submit it anonymously using Crime Stoppers of Niagara. To leave a tip, contact Crime Stoppers via telephone at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online at www.crimestoppersniagara.ca. Crime Stoppers guarantees anonymity and tips that lead to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.

NEWS

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2022-06-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-06-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://communitynews.pressreader.com/article/281724093228377

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