Nine Incidents and Counting
Between October 1 and November 26, RCMP documented at least nine separate cases of hateful graffiti targeting immigrants in this southern Alberta city. The vandalism hit Uplands Elementary, Lake Stafford Park, Duke of Sutherland Park, the Cassels Road median, and various street signs throughout town.
One image shows "Make Brooks White Again" spray-painted in black letters across the concrete of a children's splash pad, complete with a crude symbol scrawled beneath it. Other locations feature swastikas and similar imagery.
Beyond the spray paint, someone has been slapping White Lives Matter stickers on traffic signs across the community. The decals direct people to websites pushing anti-immigration rhetoric.
A City Built by Newcomers
The messages land differently in Brooks than they might elsewhere in Alberta. Census data shows roughly 37 percent of the city's 14,600 residents are immigrants, many from the Philippines and various African nations. About two-thirds of those newcomers arrived within the past decade.
The community has actively worked to attract immigrants, publishing a four-year plan starting in 2021 specifically aimed at welcoming more people to the region.
"In general, our newcomers feel that they belong here and they are welcome here. So when you hear stories like this, it is disappointing," said Mohammed Idriss, a Brooks city councillor who immigrated from Ethiopia.
Idriss also manages Brooks and County Immigration Services. He said he hasn't personally experienced anti-immigrant hostility but recognizes the graffiti reflects something bigger than one small city.
"I actually think whatever is happening now is influenced by factors beyond our community in terms of that general sentiment"
he said, pointing to political scapegoating of immigrants happening nationally and internationally.
Police Take It Seriously
Cpl. Sharon McCready with Brooks RCMP believes either a single person or a small group is behind the vandalism. She called the situation concerning given how diverse Brooks has become.
"Lots of kids come from all over the place, all over the world, to Brooks to have a better life. And we don't want them, while they're out playing with their friends, to be reading things about how one race is better than another," McCready said. "We want them to learn that that's wrong."
The incidents would likely result in mischief charges, though McCready noted the hate-motivated nature could serve as an aggravating factor during sentencing.
This isn't the first time Brooks has dealt with this kind of thing. In 2024, bags of rice accompanied by White Lives Matter literature showed up on doorsteps around town. But McCready said she can't remember a stretch where incidents have been this frequent.
A Provincial Problem
Statistics Canada numbers paint a troubling picture across Alberta. Police-reported hate crimes based on race or ethnicity doubled from 106 cases in 2019 to 213 in 2020. The numbers have dipped slightly since then, sitting at 181 reported incidents in 2024. No Brooks-specific data exists.
Meanwhile, the House of Commons is considering legislation that would add Nazi symbols to the Criminal Code's hate propaganda provisions.
How to Report
Anyone with information about the graffiti or the people responsible can contact Brooks RCMP at 403-794-4400. Anonymous tips go to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or through the P3 Tips app.
