The local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada is deeply saddened after one of its memorial benches at Dieppe Gardens was vandalized.
"It's something that should not have happened, and those individuals or individual that did commit that should be ashamed of themselves," says MADD Windsor & Essex County Community Leader Chaouki Hamka.
Speaking on AM800's The Dan MacDonald Show, Hamka says he was recently contacted by the city's parks and rec department, letting him know about the vandalism.
He feels the vandalism was done in a 'malicious way'.
"I was frustrated, I was truly upset; I'm not going to lie, I was very angry when I received the call from the City of Windsor parks and rec department," he says.
In August, MADD unveiled its memorial garden at the foot of Dieppe Gardens, near the great Canadian flag on Riverside Drive.
The garden, which includes granite benches, pays tribute to those who have been tragically killed or injured in crashes involving alcohol or drugs.
Hamka believes the back of the bench was either kicked or a hammer was used.
He says the bench was broken in pieces.
"This is not just a seat," he says. "This bench is a place to sit. It's a meaningful place to remember loved ones and to find comfort, and at the same time, it serves as a powerful reminder to never drive under the influence of alcohol and drugs. So damaging, it is a deeply disrespectful act that causes pain for families in our entire community."
Hamka says the bench will be repaired or replaced.
"We will be replacing it in some way," says Hamka. "Because, like I said, at the end of the day, it comes down to honouring victims of impaired driving, and we're not going to let an act like this diminish all the work we've done."
MADD Canada has memorial locations across the country to honour victims and survivors while raising awareness about the tragic and lasting consequences of impaired driving.
Plans for Windsor's memorial garden started about 10 years ago.
It cost about $40,000.