Pride crosswalk damage cleaned up quickly by town staff

Town staff worked for about four hours Tuesday afternoon to clean up the Pride crosswalk after it became the target of vandalism for a third time since it was installed in late May.

Town staff discovered the most recent act of vandalism when a resident contacted them Sunday evening, said CAO Marnie Cluckie.“Upon review of the security footage yesterday, it appears that the vandalism occurred shortly after 3 a.m. on Sunday.”

Similar to the first two incidents, the perpetrator(s) left tire tracks in tar to mar the surface, but this time also added a profanity to their destricution. The vandals also seem to have painted over the security camera, leaving no video evidence of the damaging act. 

A report was filed with the Niagara Regional Police and an investigation continues. 

The first defacing of the crosswalk occurred less than a week after its installation was completed. Before the town had a chance to clean the damage, though, a second, more damaging incident occurred.

A short time later a 15-year-old boy from St. Catharines was identified as the suspect. He wasn’t charged criminally, but rather introduced to the “extrajudicial measures program” because of his age, police said.

In a statement about the repeated acts of vandalism, Cluckie said "The Rainbow crosswalk is an important symbol of diversity, inclusivity, and acceptance in our community. This act of vandalism attempts to diminish the spirit of unity the crosswalk represents. It is disheartening to witness such an act in in our community, but I hope we will join together as a community once again and not allow such incidents to discourage us."