Photo courtesy Eric Depenau

By Greg Fry

Downtown graffiti

Prince George Legion vandalized

Jan 8, 2021 | 3:06 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — Graffiti is nothing new to downtown business owners and is plain to see for anyone paying the area a visit. The latest victim though? The Prince George Legion.

Eric Depenau is a member of the Prince George Legion and is also an army reservist. He says the vandalism is nothing new.

“I’d say the damage is very common and some of this is new. As I understand it, the Legion has replaced this door several times. Last week the back doors were broken. Even here today, a lot of this has been cleaned since earlier in the week when we first stopped by. There was much more paraphernalia and debris.

“You can still see burns to the walls. Folks using this space for what it’s not intended for. So certainly common and this damage is new.”

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As for damages, he says the Legion is waiting for a quote for the glasswork but says the other damages will be covered by volunteers when they gather at the Legion tomorrow.

But it’s more than just the financial cost.

“The dollar cost is one thing but it’s that moral cost. The Legion here are already doing so much for so many and so it’s nice that ordinary members and folks that are concerned can come down and lend a hand.”

Depenau says downtown vandalism isn’t just isolated to the Legion.

“100 per cent. Even in the last couple of days since making a Facebook post and seeking support for volunteers to come down to pressure wash and clean up, a lot of business folks, downtown operators and owners have reached out and asked ‘what can be done?’

“So, I think this will be the first band-aid here, to correct the mess that we see on one entranceway. And hopefully there will be a few more projects down the way to help one another out.”

Is there anything more the RCMP or City of Prince George could do to help?

“My hat really does go off to those folks. I know we have increased lighting, we have increased security presence, increased bylaw presence. RCMP are doing what they can.

“One area that we might be able to see more action on, is I’ve been looking at the City website and the December 7 terms of reference for one of these committees were updated specifically to deal with the downtown.

“A taskforce was struck last December (2019), an outcry, 130 plus people in council chambers, but I’m not sure how active that’s been going forward. Some leeway of course with COVID, but work has to go on. We do have a state of emergency here in B.C. with the opioid epidemic and I think we see that playing out across downtown.”