Police investigate hate crime against black Stratford Festival actor

Stratford police are investigating what it's describing as a hate crime against a veteran Stratford Festival actor that's left the man taking extra safety precautions.

David Collins was on his way to work on the afternoon of Aug. 22 when he noticed a note tucked underneath the windshield wiper of his car that read "Haill (sic) Hitler."

"I picked it up, unfolded it and there was that lovely message there for me … it was badly spelled … It's become one of the logos of white supremacy," Collins said.

The 56-year-old black man, who lives in the southwestern Ontario city's core, said the incident was targeted because his car was parked at a designated spot for him at an apartment building across the street.

"It definitely is a hate crime," acting Insp. Mark Taylor of Stratford police said. "The wording itself is hate speech, so we take it very seriously."

As well, Collins said someone also knocked over five of his paper recycling and leaf bags and the contents were strewn across the sidewalk and roadway.

Collins said he was "angry and frustrated" but not surprised, because he said he's noticed incidents targeting the colour of his skin and other black minorities have increased in the last few years in Stratford.

Listen to David Collins on The Morning Edition with Craig Norris:

4 hate crimes, 1 year

Police said this was the fourth hate crime the force has investigated this year. Other cases included name calling and vandalism, but police said no one was ever charged.

Taylor said the investigation pertaining to Collins does not include surveillance video in the area, which could increase the difficulty in finding a suspect.

"Unfortunately there is no video in the area so we have to try and investigate this occurrence through identifying targets we dealt with possibly from the past and going from there," he said.

"We take these occurrences very seriously. It's probably a very sensitive situation and I'm sure [the victim] had an emotional reaction from it. We try and speak to the victim and offer as much assistance as we can," he added.

Collins, on the other hand, wasn't too fond with the way police had initially handled the investigation.

He believed the issue was initially being handled as "an ordinary occurrence of vandalism" until he learned Tuesday it was being investigated as a hate crime. He said the news was "reassuring."

A statement from the Stratford Festival, sent by publicist Amy White, said they are "saddened to hear of this egregious incident."

"Incidents like these, unfortunately, seem to be happening all too frequently around the world. As we hope for a better tomorrow, we will continue to do our best to support a diverse and caring workplace and community," the statement said.

'We can't be silent'

Back in 2016, a black stage actor who currently works for the festival theatre was subjected to racial slurs during a time when he was featured in a London, Ont., production.

And Collins said the small minority of black actors at the theatre have been faced with other racially-targeted incidents.

"I want the whole society to change … I want us all to be equal and treated fairly. But, that's not going to happen overnight. It certainly hasn't happened in my lifetime," he said.

"I foolishly assumed things had changed. But, in the last couple of years, everything just seems to be escalating back to the way it was," he added, noting the "Trump-era" has instilled confidence in people to take part in hate-fuelled events.

Collins said he now sleeps with a baseball bat by his front door and he double checks for secured locks.

He doesn't want that to be the case. He hopes his situation will keep the conversation going.

"The goal of this is to intimidate and silence people. We can't be silent. We have to point it out. We have to keep discussing it until it goes away," he said.