Vancouver police investigating vandalism of church's Pride installation for possible hate crimes
An artistic installation set up for Pride Month in Vancouver has been defaced, and the city’s police department confirmed its hate crimes team is part of the investigation.
The brightly coloured doors with the words “God’s Doors Are Open For All” sitting outside the Shaughnessy Heights United Church were splashed with white paint, as well as the sidewalk near the display.
“It just infuriates me that people feel that hate-filled, that they have the energy to come over and deface private property that’s trying to spread love in the world,” Shaughnessy Heights United Church’s Reverend Dave Moors told CTV News Vancouver in an interview Tuesday.
The church is located in the Shaughnessy neighbourhood of Vancouver, on West 33 Avenue.
Moors said he was disheartened and saddened by what had happened.
“It defeats some labour, but more than that, it continues to poke at a community of people that are filled with love, and a church like ours that’s trying to love all of God’s children and be an inclusive, welcoming place,” said Moors.
“I do also understand that it’s a safety issue for our sisters, brothers and siblings in the LGBTQA2S+ community, that this just continues to say that there are people with hateful hearts out there and those hearts are aimed at our friends and our community members,” the reverend continued.
Sgt. Steve Addison of the Vancouver Police Department wrote in an email statement to CTV News Vancouver they have yet to identify any suspects, and that the vandalism happened sometime between the night of June 13 and the afternoon of June 14.
“This investigation is just beginning, and during the investigation we will look for various sources of evidence, including eyewitnesses, surveillance video, or any known suspects,” wrote Sgt. Addison.
When asked if the vandalism would deter the church from similar displays and statements in the future, Moors said it had instead strengthened the community’s resolve.
“An incident like this, of vandalism, just reminds us that Pride Month is very much still needed, and the message that it sends, and the teaching that it provides is very much needed in our society,” he said.
Moors said he wants Christian churches to “step up” and be more inclusive of all people, and to see the Bible used as a “tool of love, instead of a weapon of hate.”
“The person who defaced the doors and left a cross behind as if to say we weren’t being Christian enough or didn’t understand the Bible or something, just drives me mad,” he said.
Moors added that when he and a partner within the ministry spoke about putting up the doors, he expected that if they were vandalized, it would be by another Christian.
“Sure enough, sadly, that prediction came true,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sgt. Addison told CTV News Vancouver the vandalism was “very concerning.”
“We take seriously any incident that appears to show hate, bias, or prejudice against any identifiable group,” he added.
Similar acts of vandalism have happened in Metro Vancouver over the past few years.
Someone vandalized Surrey, B.C.’s first-ever rainbow crosswalk during Pride Month in June 2018. Then that August, a rainbow crosswalk in nearby White Rock was defaced, and someone vandalized a rainbow crosswalk in Burnaby less than two weeks later.
Reverend Moors says the church community plans to repaint the doors as early as Wednesday morning.
“We’re not going to stop. We’ll keep painting them. If a person cuts them down, we’ll build more doors.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
1 person killed and 23 injured in a bus crash in northern Maryland, police say
One person was killed and 23 others were injured when a bus crashed early Sunday on Interstate 95 in northern Maryland, police said.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.