The truck involved in the burnouts, and the damage done to the crosswalk (photo provided by the Dawson Creek RCMP)

By Liam Verster

Dawson Creek Pride Society

Vandals target rainbow crosswalk in Dawson Creek

Jun 4, 2020 | 1:34 PM

Members of the Dawson Creek Pride Society are feeling disheartened and frustrated after the rainbow crosswalk in the Mile Zero City was vandalized.

On June 2 at around 5:30 p.m., just hours after the crosswalk was repainted to mark Pride Month, a bronze coloured pickup truck pulled up onto the crosswalk, where it did huge burnouts, leaving tracks and marks behind. A video of the incident has been shared on the Pride Society’s Facebook page.

According to Chelsea Mackay with the Dawson Creek Pride Society, someone else allegedly got out of their vehicle and dumped oil or tar onto the crosswalk as well.

Mackay says they’ve seen these kinds of acts of vandalism before, specifically the burnouts and dumping oil, and adds that defacing this crosswalk is especially disheartening for the LGBTQ2S+ community in Dawson Creek.

“This is the only permanent LGBTQ2S+ symbol in the city. We don’t have anything else. We don’t have a centre, we don’t have anything like that. We just have our group of people, we don’t have a particular home base or anything like that, and then we have this crosswalk. So, for that to be targeted, especially within the same day that it was painted, is just super frustrating.”

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Mackay says this isn’t the first homophobic incident they’ve lived through, but it is still very frustrating to see these “careless and entitled” actions.

DC Pride member Hanna Embree says it seems like the crosswalk was targeted purposefully.

“Somebody was waiting for this crosswalk to get painted, and the second it was done they were like ‘This is my goal for the day is to go and destroy that thing that represents the LGBTQ2S+ community.'”

She adds that “I’m angry, and just disappointed in Dawson Creek and the families that choose to continue to raise their kids in environments where they’re teaching them that the fact that I get to choose to love who I love is wrong. And not only is it wrong, but is worthy of violent outreach.”

However, while it’s a cause for alarm, Embree also says these actions show the importance of Pride, and what kind of work needs to be done.

“This is a reminder, you are showing us exactly why we need to have these Pride celebrations, and continue to do public outreach, and continue for education in schools, and to continue to have youth and young people that are growing up in Canada and around the world understand that there’s nothing inherently wrong with them. This is just who you are, and there are amazing ways of continuing to be you and living your life wherever you are, without being afraid of losing your job or being kicked out of where you’re living or kicked out of your parent’s house, or even being killed in some areas of the world because you identify with the LGBTQ community.”

She adds that what happened on June 2 is a big reminder as to why this work is still crucial, even in Canada.

The City of Dawson Creek says the rainbow crosswalk is being cleaned and repainted.

The RCMP has opened a criminal investigation, and anyone with information on the vehicle, driver, or the incident is asked to contact the Dawson Creek RCMP at 250-784-3700, or make an anonymous report through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.