A Red Deer family’s vehicle was vandalized with an obscene anti-NDP message.
Dirk Heuer was bringing one of his daughters to school Wednesday morning when he noticed something was off with his wife Kerstin’s vehicle parked in front of their Sunnybrook home.
“I saw this NDP sign on our lawn had been pulled out and was laying in the bushes,” he said. “Then I noticed my wife’s car that was parked on the street had two flat tires. I said, ‘Wow, how’s that even possible?”
Upon further investigation, Heuer saw someone had scratched several messages into the vehicle’s paint, including “F—K NDP,” “666” and “F—K YOU.” He said it also appeared as if someone had urinated on the driver’s side door handle.
The scratches are “fairly deep, almost to the metal,” said Heuer. “I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t take it personally right from the beginning because … I knew it was a political message and not directed towards our family, but I still couldn’t believe it.”
Heuer said many other NDP signs in the neighbourhood were damaged or gone.
“We were a little upset, but I think the main disappointment is how low somebody is who does this kind of action. This person, or this group, probably doesn’t even know us as people.
“To damage someone’s property just because they have a sign of a political position is just very low. I’m really concerned about this and that this might become the standard.”
Another NDP supporter, Jim Saltvold, didn’t have his vehicle vandalized, but he did have an election sign stolen from his front lawn Tuesday evening.
“Every time someone takes something off your property, you feel violated,” said Saltvold, who replaced the sign on Wednesday.
“My wife said put it in the window. If we have to, we’ll do that, but you can’t see it as well in the window as you can in the yard.”
He said he never had a problem with signs in previous elections.
“I sense there’s a lot of strong feelings, resentment against the NDP.”
Saltvold said he didn’t think sign theft was organized by the United Conservative Party, but by a few overzealous supporters.
Heuer said it will cost $2,500 plus tax to repaint the vehicle. There will also be the cost of renting a car for a week. The two flat tires weren’t slashed, so they can use a compressor to bring them to the required tire pressure, he added.
The Heuers, originally from Germany, have lived in Red Deer since 2005 and in the Sunnybrook neighbourhood the past nine years. They have two daughters, aged nine and 11.
“They saw this … and there were some concerns on their end: ‘Are we safe living here on this street or in this city?’ We told them this is nothing against us. This has been done by people who have lower values, a lower standard, who try to intimidate others. This is a cowardly action.”
Heuer said he’s surprised no political parties other than the NDP have reached out to his family to express their concern and distance themselves from the incident.
Ryan McDougall, Alberta Party candidate for Red Deer-South, said vandalism to her signs has only occurred a few times, compared to other parties, but it’s unfortunate any time it happens.
“I do feel very strongly the most valuable way for people to show their support for a party or against a party is to go and vote on the 16th,” McDougall said.
“I have heard at the doors a lot of people are apprehensive to put any signs on their property out of fear of backlash from their neighbours or community members who hold a different opinion politically, which is sad. We do live in a democratic society.”
A Red Deer spokesperson for the Alberta NDP said the party did not want to comment on sign theft or vandalism, and preferred to focus on running a positive campaign.
It’s recommended that victims report damaged or missing signs to the RCMP.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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