While the emotional scars remain for the victims, the garage door spray-painted with a swastika has been professionally repainted.
Akini Peters says professional painter Keith Gagnon and his partner, April, of On a Roll Painting, volunteered to repaint the garage at no cost other than the paint, and the work was completed over two days. He says the paint job was even better than before.
“They reached out to us as soon as my partner posted about the incident in a local Facebook group. Keith showed up two days in a row,” Peters said. “On the first day, he covered up the swastika and power-washed the door. Today (May 15), he returned with his professional equipment and painted it.”
The support from the couple and other neighbours was deeply appreciated.
“We really appreciated the outpouring of support from the community, especially the neighbours. They stepped up to provide me with footage from their surveillance cameras. Everybody came together to offer support in the wake of this incident.”
While the labour was donated, the couple still had to cover the cost of the paint—something they hope to recover eventually.
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Peters also thanked the RCMP.
“We are very grateful for their prompt response and for taking it seriously.”
On May 14, a 14-year-old youth was charged with three counts of mischief under the Criminal Code.
Peters says some have said the matter shouldn't have raised in the public's eye. He disagrees.
"It is wrong not to make incidents like this public because teenagers need to learn that certain actions are not acceptable in a civilized and well-meaning community, and it's important for kids to learn about accountability.
"I understand that kids make mistakes at times, but there are some mistakes that might have gone a bit too far."
