Mississauga resident says man randomly shouted racist taunts and death threats
Published October 12, 2022 at 4:16 pm
A Mississauga man experienced a frightening and racist encounter this week.
The man says he was walking his two dogs with his six-year-old nephew when a man started shouting racist and threatening remarks at him with no provocation.
The incident happened around 7:40 a.m. near Stavebank and High Street on Tuesday (Oct. 11), says the resident who asked not to be named in this story.
He says a man was walking a small dog with a pink harness. He is described as white, around six-feet tall, and he was wearing a black hat.
The man’s dog, who was off-leash, approached the resident’s two dogs and then the dog proceeded toward the street. The resident tried to stop the dog from going out into the street but another person actually got the dog away from the roadway.
At first, he thought the man might thank him for spotting his dog wandering toward the street.
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But there was no verbal interaction between them before the man suddenly started to yell.
“The moment he saw our colour, it wasn’t even a conversation,” he says.
The man shouted “you f**king scumbag,” and he used the n-word and then threatened to kill them saying – “I want to kill you all and drown you in the river.”
The resident told the man he would call the police but at that point, he was holding his dogs and his nephew’s hand.
“Now, I’m scared.”
The hate-rhetoric continued as the man walked away.
The resident said his nephew and family just moved to Canada from India about two weeks ago and the boy doesn’t speak English but the interaction was still upsetting for him.
“He doesn’t understand everything but he does understand when somebody’s yelling and using swear words.”
Shaken, he managed to take a photo of the man as he walked away. The resident returned home and called the police.
Peel Regional Police confirmed they did get the report but didn’t immediately have more information.
The man suggests that mental health is sometimes used as an excuse for racist behaviour.
“It should be looked at very closely, and it shouldn’t be used as an excuse.”
The incident has him and his family traumatized and disgusted. He has lived in the area since the beginning of this year and hasn’t had anything like this happen in the past. But he has heard other people have experienced this type of hate crime.
“I haven’t been subjected to anything like that. But that doesn’t mean these things do not happen. They happen quite frequently.”
In fact, hate motivated crimes are increasing in Peel Region. In 2016, there were 59 hate motivated crimes reported and in 2021, the number was 115. Hate motivated incidents have more than doubled since 2016.
All Peel police officers are trained to deal with hate-motivated or bias-motivated criminal offences. Each of the four police divisions has a hate-motivated crime coordinator who monitors and assists with investigations.
Hate-motivated crimes can be reported to the Peel police non-emergency line at 905-453-3311, but those in immediate danger should call 9-1-1.
Peel Crime Stoppers also encourages residents to report hate crimes on its website, www.peelcrimestoppers.ca, or by calling the tip line at 1-800-222-8477.
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