A couple in the Willows neighbourhood believes they were targeted in a hate crime after a swastika was spray-painted on their garage door around 11:30 a.m. on May 13.
Akini Peters and Michelle Blyden say they can't think of any other reason their home on Willow Street would be singled out for the vandalism.
Peters is the only Black person in the neighbourhood.
"No other garage was touched, just this one, and it seems very purposeful to me," he said. "It could be a coincidence, but look at the sign. Look at the colour of my skin."
Peters is a Canadian citizen originally from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Blyden is originally from New Zealand and has lived in Canada for 12 years, They have called the Willows neighbourhood home for about two and a half years and describe it as a great place to live, which makes the incident harder to accept.
"This is a very peaceful neighbourhood. I've never had any issues with anyone at all. The neighbours are great. Everyone is friendly," said Peters.
To the neighbourhood’s credit, several residents quickly offered support once news of the incident spread.
"More than one person has volunteered to paint it over, as long as I buy the paint," Peters said. "But I want those kids held accountable. It wasn’t like they drew some random graffiti. It was a very specific symbol from a very atrocious period in human history."
An avid bird photographer, Peters shoots at a nearby pond and believes the teenagers had seen him travel back and forth often and knew where he lived.
"This is unacceptable," he said. "It's not a joke. I would have been less upset if it had just been random graffiti."
Footage of three youths suspected of targeting the garage door has been handed over to the RCMP, who are investigating.
"Honestly, I hope they’re charged," said Blyden. "I think the police mentioned something about extrajudicial measures if they're remorseful, but I don’t believe teenagers that age are remorseful for what they’ve done—they’re remorseful that they get caught. If it had been a penis on the door, I’d be like, ‘Sure, whatever.’ But this is a hate symbol. That’s different."
Blyden also reflected on broader issues of racism and xenophobia she has observed.
"I was working with a Filipino woman once, and this man said, ‘Oh well, at least you’re not one of those Filipinos. At least you’re one of the good ones.’ She was standing right next to me," said Blyden.
"I’m an immigrant too, but I’m white and English-speaking, so people have felt comfortable saying terrible things about immigrants to me. But they always follow it up with, ‘Not you.’ To me, it’s either all of us or none of us."
She believes anti-immigrant rhetoric has been rising in the past year.
"It’s not to say the government hasn’t made mistakes with immigration—they have—but that’s not the immigrants’ responsibility. Yes, some individuals may cause problems, but that doesn’t mean all immigrants are to blame."
