St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Kamloops, British Columbia has been graffitied, reports Kamloops This Week. The Church, which is located in the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation was hit with graffiti a few days after the release of the information that the remains of children had been found on band land at the Former Kamloops Indian Residential School site. The Kamloops Indian Residential School, run by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate was a congregation of the Catholic Church. In response to this release, St. Joseph’s had been targeted, graffitied with words like, “Banished,” and “Crime Scene.” A large “X” has also been spray painted on the front doors of the Church. Though the words and symbol have been cleaned, remnants of the marks can still be seen. The RCMP are still investigating the incident.
The Church had been built by members of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation peoples and by the Missionary Oblates during the relocation of the Hudson’s Bay Company in the year 1843. The Church had been redone during the 1980s and that is how it currently looks in photos.