Masked, black-clad gang of vandals hits stores, cars
Popular Locke Street in Hamilton counts the cost — $100,000
HAMILTON — A band of masked vandals describing themselves as “ungovernables” roamed through a stretch of Hamilton, hurling rocks at small businesses and causing up to $100,000 in damage, local police said Sunday. Cafés, stores and vehicles along a roughly one-kilometre stretch of popular Locke Street took the brunt of the damage as between 20 and 30 people marched along the route on Saturday night. Hamilton police Insp. Paul Hamilton said the group, clad in black, sporting masks and carrying a banner saying, “We are the ungovernables,” mobilized at a local park before taking to the street shortly before 10 p.m. Police were called to the park after reports that people were spray-painting messages in the area, he said, adding the situation quickly escalated. “As they went along the street, they damaged some vehicles that were parked on the street, threw some rocks at some homes, set off some fireworks,” he said in a telephone interview. “Then they got onto Locke Street ... which is heavily populated by restaurants and cafés, and threw rocks through windows of a number of the businesses there.” The chaos on the street caused anxiety inside many local restaurants fielding busy Saturday night crowds, said Tony Greco, chair of the Locke Street Business Improvement Area. Patrons hid under tables as they listened to glass shattering and bangs echoing through the neighbourhood. The vandalism came as a particular shock to local coffee and donut outfit Donut Monster, which just opened its doors as a retailer about two months ago after extensive renovations. Owner Reuben Vanderkwaak said he arrived at the shop late Saturday night to find at least half the newly installed windows shattered inside the shop and what appeared to be landscaping stones lying nearby. But Donut Monster was open for business again Sunday morning, and Vanderkwaak said community members appeared eager to show support and move on. Encouragement came from the political realm, too, as NDP leader Andrea Horwath, who represents the riding where the vandalism took place, urged residents to get out and patronize the damaged shops. “Let’s come together to greet each other as neighbours, shop local on Locke and show these vandals that this attack will only make us stronger,” she tweeted.