Codiac RCMP are investigating vandalism of a rainbow crosswalk at Riverview High School.
Spokesperson Sgt. Dan Poirier said police received a call about the incident around 5:30 p.m. Sunday. He said it’s believed the damage was done sometime between Friday and Sunday.
The words “Straight Rights” were spray-painted on the pavement along with another homophobic slur. There were also multiple skid marks.
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The crosswalk had only been painted July 2nd, according to Charles MacDougall, project coordinator for local LGBTQ+ advocacy group River of Pride.
He said he was angered to see the time and effort put into the vandalism, especially the spray-painting.
“It just shows that there are some people who are hostile to LGBTQ+ advancements and feel like they are falling behind because the rights of LGBTQ+ are catching up when that is just not the case,” he said.
“My heart just fell into my stomach,” MacDougall continued. “It was disgust, it was anger and shock.”
Sam Walsh of Riverview High School’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) said the group’s teacher adviser had approached it with the idea of a rainbow crosswalk. She said the damage is a “stab” to her and the LGBTQ+ community.
READ MORE: Halifax to add more rainbow crosswalks ahead of 2019 Pride festival
“I’m proud of our role that we had in it,” Walsh said. “I’m sad that people still feel that they had to vandalize that and take away, in a sense, our rights.”
MacDougall and Walsh say they have seen pictures of the vandalism, but have no interest in seeing it in person because of the raw emotion involved in the act.
“I just think it would be more harmful to me and my mental health,” Walsh began. “Which is already a worry for a lot of the LGBT community, not just myself.”
The crosswalk is considered school property, but with no students in class, the Town of Riverview stepped in to complete last week’s paint job.
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Communications Coordinator Megan Cross said the vandalism is not representative of the town, nor its people. She said Riverview has two of its own rainbow crosswalks.
“We are an open and welcoming and inclusive community,” Cross said. “And that’s demonstrated by the outcry and disappointment that we’ve heard from residents as a result of this crime.”
Cross said the town will be repainting the crosswalk in the coming days.
Poirier said the investigation is ongoing, but admits there are no suspects. Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to contact Codiac RCMP.
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