Markham man charged after hurling racial slurs at Asian community
Man is accused of yelling racial slurs, keying car
York Regional Police say they have charged a 57-year-old man after he allegedly yelled racial slurs and damaged a vehicle in Markham Friday evening.
Police said they were called to Main Street Unionville shortly before 8 p.m. after a man was reported to have been yelling racial slurs targeting members of the Asian community, in a news release Monday.
When officers arrived on scene, one victim said that after she had confronted the reported man causing a disturbance, he yelled at her and scratched her car with a key.
Witnesses were able to assist police with the direction the suspect had travelled, allowing them to locate the suspect shortly after.
The Markham man was placed under arrest and has been charged with causing a disturbance and mischief under $5,000.
Markham announces anti-Black racism strategy
On Monday, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti announced the city's unanimously endorsed strategy to combat anti-Black racism at a live streamed conference at the Markham Civic Centre.
"Racism remains an impractical problem for many Canadians," the mayor said. "We recognize that there is more to do, clearly we haven't done enough."
The mayor said that the City of Markham is taking necessary steps to address the issue, including anti-Black racism training for city council and staff, an equity audit beginning with the Human Resources department, and the mayor's anti-Black-racism youth-led liaison committee.
The mayor also announced the appointment of Mary Anne Chambers to Special Advisor to provide advice and guidance on the city's measures to "identify gaps to enact change and to help guide policies that promote social inclusion."
Anyone with information is asked to contact the York Regional Police #5 District Criminal Investigation Bureau at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7541 or Crime Stoppers.