The acronym for the Windsor-Essex Bike Community, a nonprofit organization promoting cycling, has appeared all over the city in recent months.
From signage at public parks to the entrance of a Wyandotte Street East café, the spray-painted letters “WEBC” have caught eyes.
But the tags are far from free advertising.
“We don’t want to give any attention to vandals because that’s what they’re looking for, but it has come to a head, and enough is enough,” said James Braakman, the president of the WEBC.
The organization has seen tags, many of which are designed to appear as if they are their own work, appear all over the region.
This past week, Braakman took to social media to dispel any belief that they are behind the vandalism.
“We’re pretty sure we know who it is as well, and it’s just a really unfortunate situation of jealousy,” he said.
Recently, “WEBC” was sprayed on a trail sign, as well as trees at Black Oak Heritage Park.
Braakman said they are working with the Windsor Police Service to help identify the suspected vandal and see some accountability.
After helping to clean some of the previous vandalism efforts, the WEBC is trying to get in touch with the city to see how it can assist in the restoration process at the park.
“People know this is so below what we’re about and we would never spend our time with something this childish,” Braakman added.
The first case of vandalism dates back to 2023, when signage at the WEBC trails at the Libro Centre in Amherstburg was vandalized.
By publicly addressing it now, Braakman is hopeful they can turn the negative into a positive by shining a light on the opportunities for cyclists in Windsor-Essex.
“Hopefully they can use this story as a bit of a way to find out about WEBC and turn this negative into a positive and get engaged with what we’re actually doing in the community,” he added.