Photo: Roger Collins / Facebook
On Wednesday, Sept. 25, the owner of Calabash Bistro posted that someone had painted racist graffiti on the front windows of the restaurant.
"This is what someone chose to do to our business at Calabash Bistro in Vancouver (last night in 2019)," wrote Roger Collins, Owner, Calabash Bistro, in a Facebook post.
"This is a wake up call for those who think this S#!+ ain’t real.. If you look closely it’s the same thing that was fought against since way before my time on this earth and here I am dealing with it."
Collins writes that everyone faces adversity in life, but that there are some struggles that some people will never have to contend with. He writes that he doesn't expect that everyone will be able to, "understand the daily struggle that some of us have been enduring because of how we look," but that the ability to overcome this kind of adversity makes people stronger.
Collins ends the post by thanking patrons that support his business "that is rooted in Food, Music, Art and Culture."
The post has already been shared 343 times and received an outpouring of positive messages.
Vancouver Police told Vancouver Is Awesome that they did attend to the Calabash restaurant for the complaint of graffiti which was drawn on the windows of the restaurant.
"Hate crimes and hate incidents have always been significantly under-reported. As a police service, we work hard to build strong relationships with marginalized groups in our community and encourage anyone who has experienced hate, bigotry, or discrimination to call us," said Sergeant Aaron Roed, Media Relations Officer, VPD, in an email.
"The VPD will investigate any criminal act that has or may take place and will assist any way we can so that those who live, work, or visit Vancouver feel safe."
VPD officers are currently investigating the incident at Calabash and therefore no further information can be released.
