A Vancouver man says he was shocked to see the side of his apartment building vandalized with a swastika on Sunday morning.
On Sunday, Oct. 18, Graham Williams Tweeted an image of a white swastika and an eagle drawn in chalk to the right of the front door of his building. He noted that his "blood pressure just spiked" upon discovering the graffiti, but that he was thankful it was done in chalk.
He added: "This cannot stand in our neighbourhood."
My blood pressure just spiked. Thankfully this was just chalk, @VancouverPD are already on it. I’m off to go check the cctv from inside our building. #vanpoli @sarahkirby_yung @MelissaDeGenova This cannot stand in our neighbourhood. pic.twitter.com/QycTN3M327
— Graham Williams (@threepio) October 18, 2020
Williams tells Vancouver Is Awesome in an email that he saw the graffiti when he took his dog for a walk around 11 a.m. on Sunday, Oct.18.
"This was found to the right of my front door - I live on Hastings St. West, between Carrall and Abbott," explains Williams. "I saw a VPD officer asking someone who was tenting to clear the sidewalk, so I ran up to her and asked her to check it out."
Williams says he has also spotted a Confederate flag hanging in a window in his area: "I also hope it’s a one-off - we’ve seen a rise in graffiti in general around here. There’s a spray-painted “anti-nazi zone” on the clinic around the corner.
"So this may be a response to that?"
Earlier this year, Metro Vancouver Transit Police reported that a police officer was injured while arresting a man for allegedly drawing a swastika on a posted advertisement within the SkyTrain.
Williams believes that racism, sexism, violence, and verbal attacks have increased in the area. He adds: "I'm worried about what it represents. The people who are making victims of all of us are getting bolder."
V.I.A. has reached out to the Vancouver Police for comment.
