Chilliwack City Council is speaking out after a mural of an Indigenous woman was defaced on Red Dress Day.
The mural of a local Stó:lo woman, Inez Louis, was vandalized with dark paint, her face defaced and the letters M-M-I-P written across the bottom of the mural.
“We were deeply saddened to hear about this act of vandalism. Vandalism is never acceptable, and the result has hurt many in our community,” read a statement from Chilliwack City Council.
The vandalism came on May 5, Red Dress Day, which is a day for remembrance and to honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited people.
“Inez is an Indigenous woman and a role model in the community, making this act of vandalism, and the day it occurred, particularly hurtful. We hope that whoever did this seeks out support for themselves in the right way.”
The Chilliwack community has come together in an effort to have the original mural painter come back to Chilliwack to fix the painting of Louis.
“On a positive note, it has been heartwarming to see the community rally to support the restoration of this mural. We appreciate the fast action of the Chilliwack Community Arts Council to coordinate these efforts. It is our pleasure to support the Chilliwack Mural Festival each year.”
A GoFundMe has been launched to fly Kevin Ledo, the artist, from Montreal.
The goal of the GoFundMe is to raise $18,000. As of Wednesday evening, 62 per cent had been raised.