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SCOTT BILLECK \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Waverley West council candidate Nafiya Naso\u2019s signs are seen covered with spray paint on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Naso\u2019s signs, located along Waverley Street near Tim Sale Drive and across from \u00c9cole South Pointe School in southwest Winnipeg, were spray-painted with apparent gang signs, crude drawings and other messages, including \u201closer\u201d and \u201cUr not winning\u201d written across her name and photograph.<\/p>\n
The Winnipeg Police Service confirmed Naso reported the vandalism, but provided no other details. Brar said she will be filing police reports on both incidents.<\/p>\n
Naso is asking anyone who witnessed the vandalism or has video or other information to contact police.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is bigger than a campaign sign,\u201d Naso told the Free Press Saturday. \u201cThis is about what kind of community we want to be. People can disagree with me. That\u2019s democracy, but vandalism and intimidation are not.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that 16 signs were targeted in one location, and more concerningly, directly right across from an elementary school, should be a concern for all of us,\u201d she said, adding her children attend \u00c9cole South Pointe.<\/p>\n
Naso, who is Yazidi and whose family is from Iraq, said the graffiti resembles a gang tag that has appeared elsewhere in Waverley West over the past two years. She said the vandalism raises concerns about possible racism.<\/p>\n
She said she\u2019s disappointed but will not be intimidated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will not silence me,\u201d said Naso, who is a former consultant to current Waverley West Coun. Janice Lukes. \u201cIt will not stop me from showing up for Waverley West.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a responsibility to the people who have encouraged me to run and I\u2019m not going to let vandalism take that away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lukes, who is not seeking re-election, has endorsed Naso to replace her as councillor in the ward.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t SCOTT BILLECK \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n Waverley West council candidate Nafiya Naso is asking anyone who witnessed the vandalism or has video or other information to contact police.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s beyond disappointing that, with everything happening in our world and the challenges facing our city, someone has chosen to make graffiti and vandalism their focus,\u201d Lukes said. \u201cVery sad.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can disagree, we can debate, but we should always treat each other with respect and dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n Brar told the Free Press some of her volunteers were out Saturday morning cleaning up her vandalized signs. She said the neighbourhood is better than this.<\/p>\n In a Facebook post, she said the coming election \u201cis a competition, but it is not a war.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have real respect for everyone running for this seat, and no matter which sign gets vandalized, whether it is mine or someone else\u2019s, it is wrong. Waverley West deserves a campaign built on ideas, not vandalism, and I stand with every candidate on this one.\u201d<\/p>\n Antar Banik, another council hopeful in the ward, condemned the vandalism. He said he hopes residents speak up, rather than normalizing it.<\/p>\n \u201cI strongly condemn the vandalism and disgusting graffiti \u2026,\u201d he said in an email.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not political debate or free expression, it is intimidation, harassment and vandalism.<\/p>\n \u201cThis kind of conduct does not represent the respectful and welcoming community that Waverley West should be. Whoever is responsible should be held accountable if they are identified.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Naso said the damaged signs will be replaced, but they haven\u2019t been taken down yet, adding she\u2019s waiting to hear back from police.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cThis election should be about ideas, leadership and the future of our ward and city \u2014 not whether someone feels safe putting up a campaign sign,\u201d she said. \u201cWe can disagree politically and still treat one another with dignity and respect.\u201d<\/p>\n Five candidates have registered to run in the race to lead Waverley West, where Lukes is not seeking re-election.<\/p>\n Uche Nwankwo and Yuanchao Li are also running for the council seat.<\/p>\n Election day is Oct. 28.<\/p>\n scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Scott Billeck Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade\u2019s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.\u00a0 Read more about Scott<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n
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\nA tagged sign for city council candidate Jasmine Brar.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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