Miramichi rainbow crosswalk defaced 6 times since May

Melanie Maltby Ingersollhas helped restorea defaced rainbow crosswalk in Miramichisix times not three since it was first painted in May.

The teacher at MiramichiValley High School and co-ordinator of the school's Gender Sexuality Alliance Club, said most people in the area wouldonly know about threeacts of vandalism because the club didn't want to give the perpetratorstoo much publicity.

But it keeps happening, so MaltbyIngersoll decided to speak out.

The longest time nothing happened to the city's pride symbolin front of City Hall was a two-weekstretch in June.

"It started out with burnouts and skid marks, then white paint and now, this is the worst yet," she said.

Vulgar messages

Late Sunday or early Monday, a phallic symbolwas spray-paintedon the crosswalk, along with some black scribbles.

But that's not the worst,MaltbyIngersollsaid.

• Miramichirainbow sidewalk defaced twice in one month

Earlier, the club painted another crosswalk behind the school in May, as a practice.

'Idon't feel I can be silent about it either.I feel so hurt by it, for theLGBTQcommunity.'- MelanieMaltbyIngersoll, Miramichi teacher

That one was defaced twice, the last time with vulgarmessages and images, she said.

MaltbyIngersollsaid the school has since obtained video footage of two of the vandals, which it willforward to police.

"I don't feel I can be silent about it either," she said. "I feel so hurt by it, for theLGBTQcommunity."

Positive response

On Friday, the sidewalk in front of City Hall will be repainted by the school club, members of the Kinsmen, the community's two high schoolfootball teams and themayor.

MaltbyIngersoll said council, the Kinsmen and local firefighters helped with repainting in the past.

The Kinsmen also bought the paint.

MiramichiMayor Adam Lordon said each time the rainbow was defaced and repainted, more people came out in support.

"Miramichi responds to these actions en masse with positivity and signs that they don't accept these actions as a community," he said.

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The city will celebrate its sixth Pride Festivalthis weekend and decided to kick it off by repainting the crosswalk on Friday afternoon, followed by raising the pride flag, he said.

"We as a community, as an LGBTQcommunity, need to ensure that we keep pushing to ensure not just equal rights under the law, but to allow people to understand thatpeople in the LGBTQ community are part of our city here in Miramichi, and they are part of communities across the country," Lordon said.

"And are a wonderful, vibrant part of those communities."

He hopes the vandals will "get the message," but said if the vandalism continues,the community will respond.

Council may consider adding more cameras to supervise the area, he said.

More crosswalks in province

Recently, crosswalks in Woodstock and Rogersville were also defaced, but it hasn't stopped communities from painting them.

Ricky Gautreau, mayor of Saint-Antoine, a small community north of Moncton, said members of council painted the stripes on the road near thevillage post office onThursday morning.

Gautreau said he's not concerned about vandalism.

"And if there is, we will fix it," he said.

Gautreau said the village is participating in a rainbow crosswalk challenge that started in Cap-Pel a few weeks ago.

Several other communities in the area have since painted crosswalks, among themShediac, Bouctouche and Saint-Louis-de-Kent.

Gautreausaid village councilunanimously approved the decision to paint the crosswalk, and the residents are supportive.

We are telling them thatthey are welcome in our village.- RickyGautreau, mayor of Saint-Antoine

Almost everyone in the village, including himself, knows someone who is a member of the LGBTQ community, he said.

"What I think and what we think we are demonstrating is opennessand support to our people that live in Saint-Antoine," he said.

"And today we are in 2017. We are telling them thatthey are welcome in our village."