In this edition of the Mirror we have not one but two stories about vandalism.
These selfish acts only serve to paint our community in a poor light.
In the first instance, the gravel parking lot at the Tyee Club was vandalized by at least one vehicle spinning doughnuts. As reported, the stunt has caused thousands of dollars worth of damage and has ruined the parking lot, which is used by not only the Tyee Club but also the general public coming down to enjoy the Tyee Spit and the Campbell River Estuary.
That incident was followed up with the defacing of the new temporary rainbow crosswalk downtown on Shoppers Row.
Countless hours of painting, prep and installation work went into the vinyl crosswalk which was laid by Epic Designs on June 11. But not even one hour after the crosswalk was installed, it became a target for vandals who performed burnouts over the crosswalk, causing the vinyl to rip and tear to the point where chunks have been torn away from the road surface.
The vandalism of the rainbow crosswalk has caused a stir on social media where the talent behind the crosswalk has appealed for help in identifying the perpetrator(s). What he got in response, however, was a number of people critizing the crosswalk, with one poster even saying, ‘what did you expect?’
How about some respect and appreciation for someone’s hard work?
No matter what your feelings are about rainbow crosswalks and what they may or may not represent, it doesn’t give anyone the right to purposely destroy a piece of art that is, yes, in support of Campbell River’s Pride Festival this coming Saturday, but is also aimed at helping to liven up the downtown core. It also was never meant to be a permanent fixture, it was simply laid with the intention of lasting a couple of weeks to help celebrate the festival and the community’s diversity.
To me, this type of destruction and behaviour is extremely disappointing and very unbecoming of our community. I think, though, what shocked me the most was the response to the vandalism on Facebook. I couldn’t believe how many people were openly mocking the crosswalk and condoning the vandalism.
And these comments were posted under genuine Facebook accounts, with the poster shamelessly attaching their name to some pretty hateful remarks.
I know not everyone thinks the same and yes, we’re all entitled to our own opinions, but not when they go so far as to be hateful and racist and when it’s taken to the level that property is destroyed.
Both of these incidents, the vandalism of the rainbow crosswalk and in the Tyee Club parking lot, have been reported to the RCMP and rightly so. The intentional destruction of property deserves to have its consequences.