Old Ottawa East residents ‘perplexed’ by vandalism
Residents in Old Ottawa East say they are still in shock after vandals rampaged through the neighbourhood early Sunday morning.
The windshields of multiple vehicles were smashed and racist slurs were spray-painted on a children’s playground in Springhurst Park and two adjacent houses on Chestnut Street around 1 a.m. Sunday.
“People are just perplexed as to why our little neighbourhood was targeted in an attack like that,” said Phyllis Sutton, president of the Old Ottawa East Community Association. “It’s so out of character for our community. On my street alone, there were six cars with windows smashed.”
Meiz Majdoub’s home at 17 Chestnut St. was one of the houses vandalized. He’s lived there with his wife and two young children since last November, and said it took a while to sink in that his new home had been spray-painted.
“(It’s made of ) stone work, and I don’t know if it can come off,” he said.
The vandals left swastikas and a racial slur painted on the playground equipment just behind Majdoub’s house.
“I’m the only black guy in the neighbourhood, so you couldn’t help but think the vandalism might be targeted,” he said.
“Here in Ottawa, the cultural fabric is so interwoven, so multicultural, so it’s really disappointing to see.”
Majdoub said his neighbours have been very supportive.
“They’ve been knocking on my door non-stop ever since because they see the spray paint is still on my house. … It’s been really heartwarming to see,” he said.
Jackie Dawson, at 48 Chestnut St., said the neighbourhood is very family-oriented.
“All of our kids play in that park, and it’s completely reprehensible what was written,” she said. “It’s one thing to paint words on a slide, but it’s another to understand what you’ve actually said.”
After she and some of her neighbours received an email Sunday morning about what had happened, they met each other in the park to scrub away the graffiti.
“We even brought all our kids over to teach them it’s about community and supporting each other.”
Meanwhile, residents are asking if they can seek restitution for the damage. The Old Ottawa East Community Association will hold a board meeting at the Old Town Hall next Tuesday. Legal options for damaged property will be discussed.
Const. Stephanie Lemieux, the neighbourhood’s community policing officer, said officers have been asked to conduct extra patrols in the area.
Ottawa police have charged three suspects. Connor Hutcheson, 18, and Thomas Gagnon-Jones, 19, each face one count of mischief to property over $5,000. A third person, who is underage and cannot be named, also faces a charge of mischief to property over $5,000 and a charge of assault with intent to resist arrest.