The uglier side of living in Niagara
Harassment of Fort Erie woman not an uncommon event, anti-racism group says
Is Niagara — and Fort Erie in particular — a racist community?
The issue of race came to a head in town recently after one family was threatened via a letter left in their mailbox. In an anonymous letter, the writer threatened the life of Natalee Cole, who is Black, and her daughter. It was the culmination of a months-long campaign targeting Cole.
“I will burn your house down with you inside,” the letter stated.
Cole had finally had enough and went public.
“I’ve been suffering in silence for eight months,” she said. “I just couldn’t bear it anymore.”
It’s not something she experienced in an ethnically diverse community in Brampton, where she lived prior to moving to Fort Erie in December 2018.
“It would happen more in the workplace,” she said.
As horrendous as the incident may seem, it’s not something that is uncommon, according to Saleh Waziruddin of the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association.
“People are being harassed by neighbours using bylaw enforcement and police to get at them,” Waziruddin said. “It’s almost always been Black residents. Fortunately, with one exception, bylaw and police have not taken the bait.”
It’s difficult to gauge how big a problem racism is in Niagara. Information, Waziruddin said, is sparse.
“We know racism is there,” he said. “We hear from people who move here from the (Greater Toronto Area), that they are experiencing it more than they were back in Peel or the GTA, but it’s anecdotal.”
He said that the Niagara Regional Police have begun reporting incidents of hate crimes as a part of the service’s annual report.
“So we’re getting some information,” Waziruddin said.
The NRP, meanwhile, are continuing their investigation into the incident, said Stephanie Sabourin, manager of corporate communications for the police service.
“Due to the active nature of this investigation, we are unable to provide further information so as not to jeopardize the investigation nor, would we be able to speak to conversations with persons involved in investigation,” she said in an email response to the Fort Erie Post.
She added that the Fort Erie incident, for the moment, is not being classified as a hate crime.
“At this time, charges have not been laid and while being actively investigated, there is no evidence to suggest race-based motivation at this time,” Sabourin wrote. “Detectives take numerous aspects into consideration in the course of the investigation, ultimately they need to be able to prove a nexus between a crime and their bias towards an identifiable group.”
She also said that Niagara as a whole is not seeing an increase in reported crimes that reach the threshold of a hate crime, which are investigated by District Detective Offices with assistance of a designated member of the Intelligence Unit trained in hate-motived occurrences.
“In 2020, there were 10 reported hate-motivated incidents with one criminal charge laid,” Sabourin said.
The NRP has an Equity Diversity and Inclusion Unit that is active in the community, Sabourin said.
“On a daily basis, they are developing relationships with community members and providing education and support to equity seeking groups within our community and addressing any concerns.”
Cole, meanwhile, is managing as best she can given the situation.
“I have an impeccable attitude,” she said. “I’ve done 20 years of door-to-door sales. I’ve learned to suck it up.”
That being said, it doesn’t mean the experience hasn’t affected her or her daughter, Miracle.
“It should have not taken place in this day and age,” she said. “We have to be able to identify that person.”
THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY: The Fort Erie Post wanted to look deeper into the issue of racism in Niagara after documenting the experience of a local Black woman who was sent a threatening letter where the anonymous writer threatened to burn down the woman’s home with her and her daughter inside.
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