Kincardine’s downtown is bustling on a beautiful fall day. But, last week something ugly allegedly happened in Kincardine’s core. Two 14-year-old boys, were allegedly spat on, kicked, punched, assaulted, and called racial slurs including the N-word, by a group of fellow students, because of the colour of their skin. Andrea Clarke is a Kincardine based lawyer, representing the boy’s who were allegedly assaulted. She sent out a news release about this incident late last week. “One of the things I’ve heard recently out there was, by saying this out loud, it makes our town look like we’re racist. And that’s certainly not what I’m saying. But if we don’t call things out as they are, the behavior doesn’t change. You can love a place like I do with this municipality and still say it’s not perfect,” said Clarke. Police are investigating the alleged assault, but no charges have been laid, as of yet. While many students encouraged the altercation, allege the two boys, the assault was eventually ended by an adult bystander who called police and the school. Clarke says the alleged race-based assault should be a wake-up call to all of Kincardine’s residents, that racism is unfortunately alive and well, in their community. “Let’s rally together as adults within the community, whatever role we play in children’s lives. Let’s ensure that we’re a positive role model. Sometimes these instances allow us to almost hold a mirror and say, am I doing something that my kids are learning?” said Clarke, who was the former Deputy Mayor for the Municipality of Kincardine. Both the Municipality of Kincardine and the principal of Kincardine District Senior School have responded to the alleged racist assault condemning the alleged actions. “Building an inclusive community requires commitment, compassion, and the collective courage to speak up against hate and bullying. When one member of our community is targeted, it affects all of us,” said Ken Craig, mayor of the Municipality of Kincardine. “These conversations are not always comfortable, but they are necessary. Students who experience discrimination of any kind need to know that the adults responsible for their safety see it, name it and take it seriously,” said Don Burns, principal of Kincardine District Senior School. Clarke says the victim’s families are seeking a clear safety plan for their children to return to school. Clarke says those discussions are ongoing, but a broader community conversation is necessary. As Kincardine has grown, it has become more diverse, but Clarke questions if diversity has equaled belonging, for Kincardine’s racial minorities. “It’s much greater than a single incident. Let’s come together as a community and have a conversation that’s probably long overdue. If we continue to shove it under the rug, whether that’s an inappropriate joke, whether that’s a dismissive comment that goes to dehumanizing an individual, we allow that type of conversation discourse to grow,” said Clarke.
