An attempt to cover a Black Lives Matter mural in white paint may be more than just an act of vandalism, Calgary police say.
The mural is part of the containR Art Park located at 1020 – 2 Avenue NW. The space features a collection of shipping containers used for mural installations.
According to police, sometime between Nov. 6 and 7 one of the murals in the area was vandalized.
Police say no racial slurs, profanity or other derogatory markings are visible. The offender used white paint in an attempt to cover up the BLM artwork.
“We are looking at the use of white paint in particular as a possible indicator of a hate-motivated crime,” said Calgary police hate crimes coordinator, Cst. Craig Collins.
“It’s crucial that we look at every aspect of an act of vandalism and explore all possible intentions and motivations.”
Hate-motivated crimes are described as recognizable crimes, like assault, theft, vandalism or any other crime, where the person committing the crime was motivated by bias, prejudice or hate that is based on one of nine personal characteristics of the victim.
There are no suspects in custody and no suspect description available at this time.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Calgary Police Service non-emergency number at 403-266-1234.
