Rainbow crosswalk vandalism at Belleisle school 'hit a nerve,' says mayor of Valley Waters
A Pride crosswalk at Belleisle Regional High School was covered with tar Monday
Randy McKnight, mayor of Valley Waters, a community about 60 kilometres northeast of Saint John, said the vandalism of a rainbow crosswalk at the local high school is alarming.
"The community is torn by this," said McKnight. "This really hit a nerve, this kind of behaviour."
Monday evening, the crosswalk, which leads students into the main doors of the school, was painted over with what McKnight said looked like tar.
"They painted the colour right out of it."
Rainbow crosswalks are used in many places across the province and around the country to show solidarity with members of 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
McKnight said the incident is an illustration of a "hate mentality" that exists among a small portion of the close-knit village.
"That someone would take it upon themselves to cause vandalism to that extent, it doesn't stand for any of the values of our village."
RCMP have been notified and are investigating, he said. Although McKnight couldn't speak to who may be responsible for the damage, he said security cameras on school property caught some of what happened.
The school declined to comment on the incident through Jessica Hanlon, a spokesperson for Anglophone School District South. Hanlon said the crosswalk has been repainted and the district would not be commenting further.
Belleisle Regional High School is actually a combined middle and high school. It's one of three schools in the region, which serves a population of just over 4,500 people, according to the Valley Waters municipality website.
This is not the first time public displays of support for the 2SLGBTQ+ community have been subject to controversy in the province.
In 2017, a rainbow crosswalk in Miramichi was restored time and time again after it was defaced six times in only a few months.
Two years later, a group of advocates spoke out when hate graffiti was painted on a crosswalk in Riverview.
The city of Moncton has had its own debate about rainbow crosswalks, which led to city councillors voting on the issue, to show support, in 2019.
And earlier this year, an advocacy group pushed back on Woodstock's decision to remove Pride banners from town lampposts.
McKnight said that in a places as small as Valley Waters, he hopes those with the intention of promoting inclusion will outweigh those who feel the need to dismiss it.
"We want our community to rise above that kind of behaviour," he said.
"It's not just about painting a crosswalk, it's about treating everybody with respect."
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