durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday, August 18, 2022 | 2 P: 905-430-4300 E: info@whitby.ca whitby.ca What You Need To Know This Week in Whitby Register For Fall Programs Looking to sign yourself or a family member up for a program like swimming classes, bootcamp, or martial arts? Browse ACTIVE Net and create a Wish List now so you're ready for registration day on August 24 at whitby.ca/GetActive Become A Swimming Instructor Or Lifeguard Looking for a fun, rewarding job? The Town offers courses and training through the Life Saving Society for youth to become a swimming instructor or lifeguard. Become part of a team that's dedicated to community leadership and developing life-saving skills. It all starts at whitby.ca/LeadershipPrograms Need Street Parking? Register for a FREE short-term parking permit for: • on-street parking exceeding 3 hours • overnight parking (between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.) • driveway repairs or home renovations whitby.ca/Parking Enjoy A Movie Under The Stars Grab your blankets, lawn chairs, and popcorn and join us on August 26 for Spiderman - No Way Home. The movie will be shown on a large, outdoor screen with concert-quality sound in Whitby Civic Park starting at approximately 8:30 p.m. whitby.ca/Events We're Hiring Crossing Guards The Town is hiring a number of Crossing Guards for the fall. Make a difference in your community and help keep kids safe on their way to and from school. Scan this QR code to apply or visit whitby.ca/Careers A Whitby man says he's the victim of racial harassment while walking his dog recently. Allen Edmunds said a neighbour made racial comments directed at his family Sunday, July 31 at about 3:30 p.m. near Glenayr Park in the Anderson Street and Rossland Road area. "She has harassed and bullied me before with her language, but nothing that was very personal until Sunday. She never (said) a racial slur before, but she use to abuse me all the time," Edmunds said. "I just didn't care. 'You're a crazy lady.' I just sort of put it off. But when she had those remarks on Sunday, I had enough." Edmunds is white, his wife Sharri is Black, and their kids are mixed race. During the exchange, Edmunds noted, "I said 'look lady, you can say whatever you want.' As I'm saying this, she cuts me right off and says 'You're not welcome in this neighbourhood. Neither is your n----- wife and your n----- children. I was completely shocked. I was not expecting that. It cut so deep." After the woman made the comment, he was close to a fence and hit the fence and backed off. "It was a quick reaction. I hit the fence and then backed off. I had this emotion that I wanted to jump that fence and just slap her. You know what I mean," he stated. "I backed off. I said this is not something I'm going do. I'm not risking my job over this and ... I'm not going to give her any victory. So, I just pointed my finger at her and said I'm going to make you famous and I walked away," Edmunds said. He said he called the police to report the incident. Police visited the woman and told her if she didn't stop with the racial language, there would be further police involvement with the possibility of hate crime charges, Edmunds added. Durham Regional Police said they have no record of receiving a call from Edmunds. Edmunds posted about the incident on Facebook and he received a lot of positive feedback. In his post, he referred to the woman as a "racist Karen." As for previous comments the woman has made, Edmunds said, "From what I know, she didn't want me in the park walking my dog. I don't know why, but she would always cuss at me with profanities, saying 'Get the f--k out of here. You don't belong in this park," he said. He said he would ignore her as she would harass him every time he went to the park. "It's been several months and I just sort of ignored here until (that) Sunday," Edmunds added. He asked other neighbours about the woman and was told she wasn't a pleasant person. The family was heading to church on July 31 and Edmunds noted he had a hard time sleeping that night and "it really ruined my event, because we were celebrating the church's 20th anniversary." Allen and Sharri Edmunds and children Josiah, Jeremiah and Aeyanah are a Whitby family that experienced a racist incident involving a woman in their neighbourhood. Jason Liebregts/Metroland WHITBY MAN SAYS NEIGHBOUR DIRECTED RACIST COMMENTS AT HIM NEWS KEITH GILLIGAN kgilligan@ durhamregion.com