A Cape Breton father is shocked and disappointed after someone spray painted what he says is a racial slur on his son’s car.
“You see it, you hear about it, you read about it, but when it’s on you, it’s disheartening,” says Jason MacLean. “I just wish it didn’t happen.”
MacLean says his son has been working in Halifax for the past two weeks and he was shocked to hear the news.
“He wasn’t very happy,” says the Sydney resident. “He sent me a few messages and said he’s not pleased about it.”
Neighbour Felicia Abbass noticed the markings while she was driving by the vehicle this week.
“I could see the car and I stopped in the intersection because my breath was taken away,” says Abbass. “You see this racial slur spray painted on the side of the car. It just broke my heart.”
Cape Breton Regional Police say they have received a complaint about graffiti spray painted on a car and they are checking with neighbours to see if anyone saw anything, but they have no leads at this time.
“Any time any kind of racism or hate crime is involved we take it very seriously,” says police spokesperson Desiree Vassallo. “At this point, I think it’s a little too early to speculate for sure what the intent of the crime was.”
No matter the intent, residents say it shouldn’t have happened.
“Regardless of people’s religion, race, it doesn’t matter,” says Abbass. “We are here to take care of each individual as a human being.”
MacLean is going to try to remove the paint by buffing it out. If that doesn’t work, he says the car will need a new paint job.
In the meantime, he has a message for the people who vandalized his son’s car.
“Some people are hurt by what was put on the car. People need to realize everyone is equal and treat people fairly.”
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kyle Moore
