A Coquitlam delivery company has been slammed on social media for posting a picture of three beer cans "wearing" white paper hoods with a brown beer bottle hanging from a noose.
The photo, posted Monday, June 3 to the website of Coquitlam Liquor, Tobacco and Food Delivery, was quickly condemned as undisguised racism in dozens of scathing Google reviews.
“Your post about supporting racism is going viral you idiot,” wrote one reviewer named Krystle Middle before providing the number of the BC Hate Line should anyone wish to report the photo.
This picture depicting a #KKK-style lynching appears on the website for #Coquitlam Liquor, Tobacco and Food Delivery. #vanpoli #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/DuJ6cfDZ6a
— Ben Mussett (@benjaminmussett) June 4, 2019
Before midnight Monday, the photo had been removed from the business’s website. But the owner’s response did little to quell people’s anger. In a reply to a one-star Google review, the owner writes that it was “…only a photo of beer bottles so it’s not racist [sic.].”
Coquitlam Liquor, Tobacco and Food Delivery reportedly delivers to addresses in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody and Pitt Meadows.
The Tri-City News made several calls to the business but has not yet received a response.
By Tuesday morning, the business’s website appeared to have been taken down.
The spokespeople for the cities of Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam both have no record of the business.
A spokesperson for the Coquitlam RCMP said police investigated the 'objectionable' beer bottle post on June 4, but that there is a high standard of proof for a hate crime and a 'stupid joke' does not reach that bar.
"It might be very objectionable," said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin. "At this point, the evidence had not met the threshold of a criminal charge."
