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| To the sky Port Stanley, ON June 2024 This photo originally shared on Instagram |
I shared a photo of a hateful piece of spray painted graffiti that targeted Jews and people of colour. It touched off a bit of a firestorm in the local community, and by day’s end just about every newsroom in the city had run the story.
Even better, our police force released a statement confirming an individual, 41-year-old London resident Mariusz Christopher Grabarczyk, had been arrested and charged, and the case had been handed over to the force’s Hate Crime Investigator.
Yet from the depths of darkness, there was light. Members of the broader community shared their shock and revulsion, and my various inboxes and feeds were filled with messages of concern and support. Important conversations happened online and on the sidewalk, and more than a few citizens of this remarkable town stepped forward to reinforce the notion that hate has no home here.
I’m under no illusion: hatred is pervasive and frightening, and it is increasingly seeping out from the shadows. I’ve spent my life looking over my shoulder wondering who’s singling me out because of who I am, and it’s only gotten worse as those who hate now feel emboldened to use the current situation in the Middle East as a convenient cover to accelerate their hatred.
But I also want to believe that the good peeps outweigh the bad, and I’m not the only one who feels compelled to speak up when hatred rears its ugly head in our own backyard.
So maybe it was an ugly day to start, but it ended up with some unexpected beauty by the end.
Which explains why I’m sharing this photo as the next, new day dawns. Maybe if we all spent more time looking at pretty pictures, we’d be less inclined to single others out for simply being who they are.
#portstanley #beach #ldnont #ontario #canada #antisemitism #great #lake #erie #bird #gull #seagull #flight #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography
Related:
Final approach, March 2011
Wheels in the sky, February 2009
See my span, September 2008
Flyaway, May 2007
Gull flies on New Year's Day, January 2007
Made a new friend at the beach, January 2007
Liftoff, September 2005
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