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Famished students
Lower Mainland champs
A group of students at Hugh Boyd secondary are preparing to go on a 24-hour fast to raise awareness of the lack of food in an African country.
RC Palmer Griffins are soaring into next week’s provincial boys basketball championships after winning the Lower Mainland tourney.
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CRIME
Cops probe anti-Chinese, Jewish graffiti link Dad tries to explain racial slurs to part-Asian daughter BY ALAN CAMPBELL
acampbell@richmond-news.com
POSTMEDIA NEWS
Slogans with racial slurs and Nazi swastikas were painted on the wall, right, of Ecole James Gilmore elementary, close to where Peter Foort, above, lives. He found the graffiti upsetting and was particularly concerned about the reaction his 10-year-old daughter, who is of mixed race, would have to the offensive messages.
Police are looking into the possibility that a weekend racist graffiti attack is linked to a similar incident last year. The anti-Semitic slurs — which were sprayed Saturday onto the walls of an elementary school and on a trailer parked in a driveway — included a Nazi swastika, with the words “white power” and a derogatory phrase related to Chinese and Jewish people. The graffiti was spotted Saturday in west Richmond on a wall at Ecole James Gilmore elementary, then quickly painted over by school district workers. Similar graffiti was also found on a trailer nearby at Francis Road, just before the west dyke. Richmond RCMP are investigating both the graffiti and a fight on the school field
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that brought police to the normally quiet Seafair neighbourhood. Cpl. Sherrdean Turley said officers will investigate whether the weekend’s incident has any connection to last July, when an 18-year-old was caught on CCTV scrawling racial slurs onto a parkade wall. “This does not appear to be an isolated incident as we had some graffiti that occurred in a parkade a few months ago with similar anti-Semitic language,” Turley said. “Our investigators will be looking at the files to see if (the two incidents) may be related.” Local resident Peter Foort was one of the first people in the neighbourhood to spot the graffiti on Sunday. He was more concerned about the reaction his 10-year-old daughter would have to the racist and anti-Semitic graffiti that was sprayed on the wall. see Daughter page 4
FATALITY
Jaywalking pedestrian struck, dragged then killed Woman, 50, was wearing all black during fatal road crossing A woman died on the weekend after jaywalking in heavy rain while wearing dark clothes. The 50-year-old Richmond resident was hit Friday night around 7 p.m. as she tried to cross the 6600-block of Minoru Boulevard near Richmond Centre. Richmond RCMP’s Cpl. Sherrdean Turley said it appears as if the woman was not using a marked crosswalk. $
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An eyewitness said it looked as if the woman was pinned under the car and may have been dragged for about 15 feet after being struck. “The initial investigation indicates that the pedestrian was crossing the street at a diagonal and wasn’t at a crosswalk,” she said. “The woman was wearing all black and heavy rainfall was limiting visibility. “Speed and alcohol were not factor in the incident.” Turley said it appears as if
the vehicle in question was initially traveling west on Minoru Gate, before striking the woman after it turned turning north on Minoru Boulevard. It’s not clear as yet whether she died on impact. Turley said the woman’s name cannot be released until all next of kin are notified. “It’s a reminder to everyone to use marked crosswalks at all times and to wear high visibility clothing,” added Turley. Any witnesses should contact Richmond RCMP.
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Police say alcohol and speed were not a factor in the accident that took place Friday night.
8171 Westminster Hwy. (at Buswell, one block east of No. 3 Rd.) Walkway access also from Save-On Foods parking lot
Mon-Sat 8:45-6:30 Sun 10-5 (604) 780-4959
07283111
BY ALAN CAMPBELL
acampbell@richmond-news.com