Two families in Ogden are raising concerns after a home and vehicle were spray-painted with racial slurs over the weekend.
Michelle Dueck was on her way to work Saturday morning when she saw what had been done to her SUV.
“Just saying those words is harsh,” said Dueck, “but then to permanently put them on someone’s property is heartbreaking.”
Based on a conversation with her neighbour, Dueck said she doesn’t believe she and her family were the intended targets of the vandalism.
She said they are innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire of what Calgary police called a neighbourhood dispute.
Stephanie Emmerson’s house was also covered in crude vandalism. She said she saw the suspect on Saturday at around 4 a.m. and reported the incident to police.
Emmerson said the racist tone of the graffiti is extremely upsetting.
“I’m white but there are a lot of people in this neighbourhood who are African-American or dark-skinned,” said Emmerson. “It was very offensive to see what they had written.”
Police did not comment on a motive but said based on the early stages of the investigation, the vandalism does not meet the threshold of a hate crime.
Officers added that the community services program would be handling the case moving forward.
For Dueck, that response is not harsh enough.
“If you are out and vandalizing property… you probably don’t think it could be as severe as it can be,” said Dueck. “In this case, it affected two different families.”
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