By Zahir Muslun

Regina Open Door Society vandalized

Jun 16, 2011 | 7:08 AM

The Regina Open Door Society is cleaning up Wednesday, after weekend vandalism.

Kids got to Open Door's play space expecting to have fun Monday morning but instead they found it trashed.

Racial slurs and obscene pictures were drawn on the walls, the basketball net was broken, planters had been dug up and an area had been flooded with all the debris thrown into the sandbox.

Amber Bolen, childcare supervisor at the Regina Open Door Society, says the kids were the first ones to see the damage but thankfully, couldn't read what was written on the walls.

“(The kids) just kind of asked us 'why would somebody do this?' So of course we had to talk to them about people doing things for no reason. They were very scared to go play in the play space again,” said Bolen.

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The children made signs reading, “Please respect our space, do not spray paint,” and hung them around the neighbourhood.

Bolen says the play space is important to children because there aren't many places to take the kids outside.

“Because we are downtown we don't have a close play space, except for Victoria Park. So this is a place that we can go with small groups and our own children and our own staff,” said Bolen.

Bolen says the vandals likely got into the play area from the roof down the fire escape.

Bolen says they will be adding locks to the fire ladder, but other than that, there's not much else they can do.

“It's really disheartening to know that someone can easily just swoop in and ruin a space that we take pride in, that we worked so hard to get in the first place. It's really hurtful to know that someone could come and do that to our space,” said Bolen.

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