We recently published a news release about a hate-motivated crime that happened June 8th, 2024 in Huntsville and it received dozens of comments from our readers.
The Huntsville Detachment of the OPP issued the news release after a family walking near the intersection of Brunel Road and Main Street East were approached by a grey, older model sedan. Four occupants in the vehicle called the family racial slurs and spit at them. The vehicle then travelled eastbound onto Main Street East.
Our readers expressed their disgust over the incident. Here are just a few of the comments we received.
Lynn: “Hate does not belong here in Huntsville. We are better than that!”
Zack: “Sad indeed no excuse for that type of hate.”
Andy: “When is this ignorance going to stop? I hope the family knows that (the) community stands by them.”
705BLACKFLY.COM reached out to Huntsville Mayor Nancy Alcock for her response to the incident.
“As Mayor, and on behalf of the Town of Huntsville and our Council, we unequivocally condemn all acts of racism and violence,” said Alcock. “I am disappointed and disgusted that something like this should happen here in Huntsville. It is the earnest desire of myself and our Town Council to be an inclusive community, and I assure you that we will continue to make every effort to work towards this goal. I am very glad to hear that the victims have made a report to the proper authorities in the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). I commend them for their bravery in coming forward in this manner.”
In an email to 705BLACKFLY.COM, Parry Sound – Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith also expressed his support for the victims.
“It saddens me to learn that a hateful incident like this occurred here in Parry Sound-Muskoka,” said Smith “I feel for the victims and hope they can heal from this terrible act. Our communities welcome and celebrate diversity. Hate of any kind is simply not welcome here.”
In a 705BLACKFLY.COM exclusive interview, Sabina Hooper speaks with Steve, the father of the family who are the victims of this crime. We have chosen to withhold the family’s surname to protect their privacy. He speaks about the discrimination against the South Asian community that he has experienced firsthand since his childhood, and the impact of this crime on his own children. The audio file of the interview accompanies this article.
Huntsville OPP emphasizes that they take hate-motivated crimes very seriously “as they undermine public safety, negatively impact our communities and can escalate toward criminal extremism.” They are continuing to investigate the incident with assistance from the Muskoka Crime Unit and OPP’s Hate Crime and Extremism Unit. Anyone with information or video surveillance of this incident is urged to contact the Huntsville OPP at 705-789-5551 or 1-888-310-1122. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit information online at www.ontariocrimestoppers.ca
705BLACKFLY.COM thanks Steve for having the courage to speak out about his family’s experience. We also thank OPP Constable Dana Morris for coordinating the interview.
