Robert Bandanza
April 14th, 2006, 11:53 PM
Graffiti on NW school prompts hate investigation
By Michael McQuillanNewsLeader
Apr 14 2006
Hate graffiti written on the side of a New Westminster school has prompted an investigation by police.
The graffiti, which included a swastika and derogatory comments aimed at numerous ethnic groups, was written on Herbert Spencer elementary school. Det. Terry Wilson, with New Westminster Police, said it was scrawled on the side of the school overnight on April 7. It was not removed until last Monday morning when school officials were able to paint over it.
Photographs were taken of the graffiti prior to its removal and are being analysed as part of the investigation.
"Hate graffiti is meant to offend," said Wilson, who's specialized in hate crime for 12 years and assists the B.C. Hate Crime Team. "It's much more different than the usual tagging graffiti you find."
Hate graffiti is very crude and rudimentary, said Wilson. It's meant to send a strong message to the community. "They're really trying to get their message out.
"They want to offend people."
Any hate crimes that are discovered are also reported to the B.C. Hate Crime Team, who look for patterns in these crimes.
The weekend graffiti incident is an isolated case and uncommon in New Westminster, said Wilson. It was most likely the act of youth.
"Most graffiti is done by kids but you can never rule out adults doing this," he said.
The discovery of the hate graffiti is taken very seriously by police investigators, said Wilson. At the very least, a suspect could be charged with mischief. But if it is discovered the act is motivated by hate, the individual could face other charges and a judge will consider harsher penalties.
"Then a judge would look at holding a separate hearing to hear about this person's background and look at if greater punishment is necessary - to deter this person and also make a general deterrent showing we won't tolerate this type of hatred," said Wilson.
"Hate graffiti could the tip of the iceberg of a larger problem. This might be a one time - 'Yeah, I was stupid' - kind of thing. Or there could be something else involved with this person that we need to address."
***
Residents of a three-storey apartment building in New Westminster spent the night away from their homes after police evacuated the building. The incident was prompted by a report of a distraught man in one of the suites with firearms.
Police received a call around 11 p.m. Wednesday from a woman saying a 29-year-old New Westminster man was in an apartment with his girlfriend and had access to weapons. When police arrived, the woman had left the apartment.
Police then evacuated the building, located in the 1100-block of 4th Avenue, and the Municipal Integrated Emergency Response Team (MIERT) was deployed. The residents spent the rest of the night in a heated bus provided by the city.
The man surrendered to police around 6:45 a.m. Thursday without incident. Investigators discovered three firearms in the suite.
mmcquillan@burnabynewsleader.com
http://www.burnabynewsleader.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=41&cat=23&id=628900&more=
By Michael McQuillanNewsLeader
Apr 14 2006
Hate graffiti written on the side of a New Westminster school has prompted an investigation by police.
The graffiti, which included a swastika and derogatory comments aimed at numerous ethnic groups, was written on Herbert Spencer elementary school. Det. Terry Wilson, with New Westminster Police, said it was scrawled on the side of the school overnight on April 7. It was not removed until last Monday morning when school officials were able to paint over it.
Photographs were taken of the graffiti prior to its removal and are being analysed as part of the investigation.
"Hate graffiti is meant to offend," said Wilson, who's specialized in hate crime for 12 years and assists the B.C. Hate Crime Team. "It's much more different than the usual tagging graffiti you find."
Hate graffiti is very crude and rudimentary, said Wilson. It's meant to send a strong message to the community. "They're really trying to get their message out.
"They want to offend people."
Any hate crimes that are discovered are also reported to the B.C. Hate Crime Team, who look for patterns in these crimes.
The weekend graffiti incident is an isolated case and uncommon in New Westminster, said Wilson. It was most likely the act of youth.
"Most graffiti is done by kids but you can never rule out adults doing this," he said.
The discovery of the hate graffiti is taken very seriously by police investigators, said Wilson. At the very least, a suspect could be charged with mischief. But if it is discovered the act is motivated by hate, the individual could face other charges and a judge will consider harsher penalties.
"Then a judge would look at holding a separate hearing to hear about this person's background and look at if greater punishment is necessary - to deter this person and also make a general deterrent showing we won't tolerate this type of hatred," said Wilson.
"Hate graffiti could the tip of the iceberg of a larger problem. This might be a one time - 'Yeah, I was stupid' - kind of thing. Or there could be something else involved with this person that we need to address."
***
Residents of a three-storey apartment building in New Westminster spent the night away from their homes after police evacuated the building. The incident was prompted by a report of a distraught man in one of the suites with firearms.
Police received a call around 11 p.m. Wednesday from a woman saying a 29-year-old New Westminster man was in an apartment with his girlfriend and had access to weapons. When police arrived, the woman had left the apartment.
Police then evacuated the building, located in the 1100-block of 4th Avenue, and the Municipal Integrated Emergency Response Team (MIERT) was deployed. The residents spent the rest of the night in a heated bus provided by the city.
The man surrendered to police around 6:45 a.m. Thursday without incident. Investigators discovered three firearms in the suite.
mmcquillan@burnabynewsleader.com
http://www.burnabynewsleader.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=41&cat=23&id=628900&more=