Ottawa hate crime unit investigating racism, vandalism in Barrhaven development

The Ottawa Police Service Hate and Bias Crime Unit is investigating after home security footage posted online sparked strong reaction from the community.

The video shows two people, a man, and a woman, hurling racist, anti-Asian comments from a driveway adjacent to a South Korean family’s Barrhaven home before throwing eggs at the house.

It happened on Maynooth Court, in a new development in Barrhaven earlier this month, but people in the area say this is not the first altercation involving these neighbours.

“I’ve heard instances of people throwing used condoms on their roof and on the side of their house and stuff like that,” said Nish Yogasingam.

“There is a bio-medical hazard there when people do that, so I’m surprised that the police didn’t respond to that. That should elicit a response I think.”

Residents in the area tell CTV News it’s generally a quiet neighbourhood and most people are respectful and welcoming.

But this latest situation has some on edge.

“For it to happen in this type of neighbourhood, it’s a new development, a lot of young families here too, so it’s just shocking,” said Yogasingam.

“It’s stressful because everybody in our neighbourhood is scared to deal with them,” said Amna Saeed, a friend and neighbour of the family.

“We’re like ‘what if they start doing that to us?’ We did stand up with them, so we were scared like, ‘OK if they see where we live, then they’ll start doing it to us.'”

CTV News knocked on the door of the alleged vandals’ home and a woman came to the glass to see who was there, but no one came outside to answer questions.

In the meantime, the community is hoping to see action from police.

“All the time they open the windows and start screaming ‘Oh you Asians, go back to your home! Go back to your country!’ and I don’t know why they would do that because this family is really sweet. They’re very polite people,” said Saeed.

“It’s scary. We want a peaceful neighbourhood. Everybody else is so sweet. They take care of each other’s kids, and they listen to each other.”

“It’s sad because I’d say about 50 per cent of this neighbourhood is Asian. There are a lot of different ethnicities here and we all get along well,” said Yogasingam

“Hearing one neighbour having issues with the Asian community in general, it’s just unfortunate and sad.”

In a statement to CTV News, area councillor David Hill says he hopes to see swift action to address the concerns of his constituents.

“It’s very troubling to hear about incidents like this. There is no place for hate in our community. I have followed up with the proper authorities to make sure they are aware and taking action regarding this incident. I feel terrible for the family, especially the children that have been subjected to this hateful behaviour.”

CTV News reached out to the Ottawa Police Service, but OPS declined to comment.