Her door was vandalized with a homophobic slur. Here’s why she didn’t call Hamilton police | CBC News
[ad_1]
Shock and rage are what Hamilton resident Tanya Ritchie says she felt when she saw her front door last week.
The crimson red door was vandalized with a homophobic slur, seemingly scrawled in white spray-paint.
“I identify as bisexual and engage with the queer community,” Ritchie told CBC Hamilton.
She and her husband run the Pring Guest House, a hostel for backpackers on Mary Street in downtown Hamilton.
The house is easy to spot, with Pride flags flying near the front stoop.
Ritchie posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, about the vandalism.
To her surprise, the post ended up being shared hundreds of times and was seen over 200,000 times.
“If you’re part of an invisible minority, it’s your duty to be visible,” she said.
Police actions at 2019 Pride still sting: Ritchie
Ritchie said she reported the hate incident to the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion and the Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre via an online tool the organizations launched earlier this year.
She also spoke to Hamilton police officers who visited the home — but Ritchie didn’t contact them herself.
“Without wishing to besmirch the particular officers that I spoke to, who were all very polite and kind, my faith in the Hamilton Police Service is not high,” she said.
She said her lack of faith in the service is because of how Hamilton police responded to violence during the 2019 Pride festival in Gage Park.
That year, a religious group arrived at the event with homophobic signs, accompanied by people associated with the yellow vest group that had been protesting at City Hall. They were met with counter protesters who wore pink masks and used a large black curtain to shield the protesters from the view of the festival.
Violence broke out and several people were injured. One protester was arrested and three counter-protesters were charged.
WATCH: Demonstrators clash at Pride festival. Some viewers may find this video disturbing
Counter-protesters in pink face masks who identified as anarchists get in a scuffle with some of the people who came to disrupt the June 15 Pride celebrations in Hamilton. (Scotsmanstuart/YouTube)
People criticized Hamilton police for what they perceived to be a slow response by the service that day. An independent investigator found the police responded inadequately and “failed to protect” LGBTQ attendees. It also said the relationship between police and the LGBTQ community had been “damaged” by the incident and by police comments made afterwards.
While a police report found the service responded properly to the festival, police have since been working on completing a set of 38 recommendations made as a result of the independent investigation.
Hate crimes on the rise
Recently released data from the police service shows the number of hate incidents and crimes reported to police are rising and LGBTQ people are among the most common victims of hate.
Hamilton police spokesperson Jackie Penman said in an email police proactively reached out to the homeowner after seeing a social media post.
“At this time, we have no suspect information but continue to encourage anyone with information to contact police,” she said last week.
“Hamilton Police Service is committed to investigating hate/bias motivated crimes and incidents to ensure Hamilton remains a safe place to live and work.”
‘Let people help you if you need help’
Ritchie said her door has since been fixed.
She said if someone is a victim of hate, they should try to take action or contact local advocacy groups.
“That’s the wonderful thing about Hamilton, even when awful things happen, people rally around … let people help you if you need help,” Ritchie said.
And she has a message for the people behind the vandalism.
“They’re going to lose. They’re on the wrong side of history.”
[ad_2]
