Following an incident where the Orleans Minor Football Association clubhouse was vandalized and spray-painted with racial slurs, Councillor Rawlson King issued a statement as Council Liaison for Anti-Racism and Ethnocultural Relations Initiatives.
“I completely and utterly condemn this vile act of racism, which is absolutely reprehensible and contrary to the ideals of our City. All people in Ottawa deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and have the right to live without fear. Such acts demonstrate the need for the City to continue to enhance its efforts to combat hate. This incident only continues to encourage the efforts at United for All, a coalition of 44 organizations representing over 150 partners who are all committed to addressing and overcoming such incidents of hate-based racism and extremism in East Ontario. It also reinforces the need for the City to continue to address systemic racism through its Anti-Racism Secretariat, which is currently developing an Anti-Racism Strategy. As part of our collective responsibility to ensure equality and justice for all, I urge all members of the community to report hate-based crimes to the Hate and Bias Crime Unit of the Ottawa Police Service to ensure that anyone who engages in such deplorable conduct can be brought to justice.”
