Day to love Locke Street held after vandalism spree

On Saturday there was a large outpouring of support for business owners on Locke Street impacted by the damage left behind by vandals last Saturday night.

People rally in support of community after incident causes $100K damage

Laura Clementson CBC News Posted: Mar 10, 2018 3:33 PM EST | Last Updated: March 10, 2018

On Saturday people from all over the city went to Locke Street in the Hamilton Kirkendall neighbourhood to celebrate Love Locke Day after it was hit by a mob of vandals last Saturday night. (Laura Clementson/CBC)

A week ago tonight, a mob ofvandals went on a rampage in Hamilton'sKirkendallneighbourhood causing an estimated$100,000 of damage but this Saturday, it was about supporting the neighbourhood and loving Locke Street.

On Saturday there was a large outpouring of support for business owners impacted by the damage left behind by vandals last Saturday night setting offfireworks, damaging vehicles and throwing rocks at store windows.

Masked mob dressed in black vandalizes streets of Hamilton

Love and doughnuts Sunday after vandals stormed Locke St. shops Saturday night

"Like everybody, I don't know what their message was or why they did what they did, but we're saying clearly is we understand how important small business is," saidMPP for Hamilton Centre andOntario NDP leader,Andrea Horwath to reporters.

Horwathdubbed Saturday as "#LoveLockeDay" when she announced last Sunday that she wascalling for people to come together to support the businesses on Locke Street.

"Mom and pop businesses really are the lifeblood of our community and they provide a lot of jobs," said @AndreaHorwath outside of @DonutMonster, where she kicked off #LoveLockeDay in #HamOnt pic.twitter.com/OskMYi5XFn
—@LauraClementson

On Thursday, Hamilton city councilvoted to condemn the incident.Council also vowed to do whatever it could to help police lay charges.

'Faceless, gutless cowards': Hamilton city council condemns Locke Street vandalism

Donut Monster employee Alyssa LeClair sells boxes of doughnuts from a shop window. Last Saturday night, eight of them were smashed by vandals. (Laura Clementson/CBC)

The day kicked off at Donut Monster just after 10 a.m. The shop was hit hard in the rampage with eight of their windows getting smashed.

Both the store and its owner, Reuben Vanderkwaak, were praised throughoutthe community for maintaining a positive attitude after saying last week that it was"pretty devastating to walk into" the store.

Vanderkwaak says they've received an abundance of support something he's thankful of.

Last Sunday when I spoke with owner of @DonutMonster, Reuben Vanderkwaak, he told me how positive him and his team were trying to stay for the community. Almost a week later, he shares how it's been an emotion roller coaster and how he's still positive. #LoveLockeDay #HamOnt pic.twitter.com/6oFTR32nwO
—@LauraClementson

During Love Locke Day, cupcake shop Bitten had a steady stream of customers. Last Sunday it had to stay closed after the damage caused in Saturday night's rampage of vandalism. (Laura Clementson/CBC)

"Small business is not just the backbone of our economy, but it's also really the lifeblood of our communities as well," said @keaninloomis, president and CEO of @hamiltonchamber. #HamOnt #LoveLockeDay pic.twitter.com/h6BAquAElS
—@LauraClementson

"This past few days have been a roller coaster ride for me in terms of emotions," said ward 1 councillor @aidan_johnson, who lives just around the corner from Locke Street. #HamOnt #LoveLockeDay. pic.twitter.com/bGGr9Rwite
—@LauraClementson

Why people celebrated Love Locke Day

Susan Bullock lives at Aberdeen Ave and Locke St. S. She came out for #LoveLockeDay to support the neighbourhood and to read the messages left for the Donut Monster. pic.twitter.com/UZKipWdWpc
—@LauraClementson

Graham McNally came out for #LoveLockeDay because he thinks it's important for the community to show support when things like this happen. #HamOnt pic.twitter.com/uIFj9tczj6
—@LauraClementson

"It was great that such a senseless act was just received with so much love," said Michelle Szarka about why she came out for #LoveLockeDay. pic.twitter.com/JMRfBJYEP0
—@LauraClementson

Matt White lives in the neighbourhood near Locke Street. He brought his family out to support local businesses after what happened last week. #LoveLockeDay pic.twitter.com/9RnmiJdL94
—@LauraClementson

Emily Hill used to live in the Locke Street area for 10 years before moving to Toronto six months ago. When she heard about #LoveLockeDay she decided to visit hold neighbours and shop owners that she knew very well. pic.twitter.com/e2W4PnlPfF
—@LauraClementson

For Andrew Hall, #LoveLockeDay is about celebrating #HamOnt. It's about ignoring the events that may have taken place before. pic.twitter.com/tQoGJZlIKN
—@LauraClementson

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Day to love Locke Street held after vandalism spree

People rally in support of community after incident causes $100K damage

Why people celebrated Love Locke Day

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