Update: More Graffiti Appeared Overnight - Hate Motivated graffiti appears on Medicine Hat veterans' Walk
Update - More graffiti was found on the veterans walk in the park, it appeared overnight. Photos are at the end of the article. The Owl reported it to police. File #26-29853
Hate motivated graffiti was found this week on the veterans' walk at Medicine Hat's Veterans Riverside Memorial Park — the first time hate-motivated vandalism has appeared on the walk itself, according to veteran Eddie Devine who has spent years maintaining the site.
The graffiti referenced the online forum 4chan and stated
"The Nazis were people too and we shall remember that too."
Devine says he spent a long time removing the graffiti and took before/after photos. He says he reported it to police.
The walk was installed in August of this year. Devine, a veteran of 40 years' active service helped design it when it was moved into the park.
Devine was the driving force last eyar behind a crosswalk between City hall and the park but the crosswalk quickly faded. Veterans Lead Inaugural March Across Newly Painted Veterans Crosswalk
The Medicine Hat Police Commission Was Warned a Month Ago
On September 16 2026, Devine stood before the Medicine Hat Police Commission (MHPC) during the Community Consultation portion of the meeting and warned that the park was being abused and families do not go there anymore. Devine spoke about people injecting drugs, leaving needles, writing graffiti — and getting away with it.
"They get away with it," he said. "It's great issuing tickets. The chances of them paying the ticket is very slim. And if they do pay the ticket, they're going to go and do it again."
His sharpest line was aimed at the city's own signs. "If we're not going to do nothing about it, let's just take down the signs that are in the park that says loitering," he said.
He noted at that meeting that the crosswalk had so far escaped vandalism. "I'm happy to say that hasn't been graffitied," he told the Commission.
Chief Murphy and Insp. Jason Graham responded, describing the work of the Downtown Patrol Unit and the PEACE Team — a multi-agency initiative involving police, addiction and mental health services, fire services, housing, parks and recreation, and the local friendship centre.
Graham was candid about the limits. "The challenge we have is that we unfortunately don't have eyes and ears in every corner of our downtown area," he said. "This type of activity happens. We're fully aware of it when we're not there." He added that when officers are present and see criminal activity, they deal with it.
The Commission chair Paul Carolan closed the exchange by telling Devine his concerns had been heard. "The Memorial Park veterans, their service is important," the chair said. "Your comments have been received and we will take them away."
Devine, for his part, praised the police service. "I'm not having a go at the Medicine Hat Police Service," he said. "I think you do an absolutely outstanding job."
A pattern, not a one-off
The hate graffiti is not the first vandalism at the park. Devine says the tank has been targeted repeatedly over the years, most recently with a racial slur. He has reported graffiti in progress to police before — and says he once waited an hour after calling, and no one came.
He has also raised a bylaw compliance question with the city: Bylaw 4136 requires No Smoking and No Vaping signs at park entrances, and he says they are missing at the four entrances to Memorial Park and the two entrances to BATUS Park. He believes reducing smoking in the park would reduce the abuse of the space.
Park in Disrepair
The park's physical condition has been a concern for years. A 2023 petition asked the city to repair the heron fountain at the park's entrance — a brick feature created by artist James Marshall — noting it "has remained broken" despite the park's location directly across from City Hall.
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles hold that spaces in visible disrepair attract undesirable behaviour and signal that a place is not being cared for.
The incident comes amid a documented rise in hate activity across Alberta. A StopHateAB report found Medicine Hat ranks among the top five communities in Alberta for self-reported hate crimes and incidents, and noted that hateful comments "that used to stay in the shadows are now spoken openly in public spaces, online, and even by politicians." The report recommended bystander intervention training as a key local tool. Owl News attended workshop about hate earlier this year and wrote this article.
Medicine Hate: Leaders Need To Break The Silence
Meanwhile
The graffiti has been removed. Duffy will be repainted next week. The question Medicine Hat is left with is whether the next person who sees hate at this park will say something — or whether it will be left to the veterans to clean up, again.
October 17 2026 - Owl News photo
