Kelowna RCMP condemn hate after anti-SOGI vandalism
Posted November 7, 2023 10:11 pm.
Mounties in Kelowna say a masked person spray-painted anti-SOGI hate speech over rainbow artwork in October, and tell CityNews they’re condemning these actions.
A picture released by the Kelowna RCMP shows a man in a white mask and red gloves writing with black paint on the rainbow sidewalk. Police say it happened in front of a school district office on Hollywood Avenue on Oct. 28 at 6:55 p.m.
Const. Michael Della Paolera says police found out about the incident two days after it happened, and have since used local CCTV footage to move the investigation forward.
“Our investigation services are working diligently to try to identify this individual,” he said. “As soon as we do, we’re going to take action to make sure that this person is brought to the courts.”
Della Paolera says the Kelowna RCMP is extremely disappointed by these actions and calls them “unacceptable.”
“We just have to learn to live with each other and be accepting of each other. This is not going to change anything, it’s only going to create more friction in our community and it’s not that’s not something we want,” he said.
Della Paolera says Mounties in Kelowna are working on implementing an approach based around education, understanding, and listening to one another, and he says he hopes that’s something that can help make these instances of hate disappear.
“Our community resource officers are out talking to our community partners, trying to educate each other and understand and listen to each other so that we can come up with a better way to live in our community without these kinds of things happening,” he said.
“It’s not doing anything for anybody. It’s only creating more animosity in the community.”
Police ask anyone with any information or dash cam footage related to this instance of vandalism to call the Kelowna RCMP at (250) 762-3300 and reference file number 2023-64754, or Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 and online at www.crimestoppers.net if they would like to remain anonymous.
