THUNDER BAY – For the second time in the last two months, a Thunder Bay restaurant has experienced vandalism.
On Wednesday, Chinese Express owner Kim Lai heard a customer banging on the door. She ran outside and the customer informed her someone had done damage to one of the Arthur Street restaurant’s well-known lion statues.
Lai said a woman was standing there and Lai asked her what the restaurant did to her and why was she hurting the lion.
She told the woman the lion would protect her and keep her healthy.
“She never answered me,” said Lai. “She was standing there and she never answered me.”
Video surveillance footage shows the perpetrator walk from across Mountdale Ave, up to the lion statues and knock several of them over.
Chinese Express has two large marble lion statues in front of its doors that were brought from Vietnam. There are also four smaller lions, two on each side of the larger marble ones, made of concrete. The smaller lions were knocked down with one sustaining damage to the face area of the statue.
Restaurant manager and Lai’s daughter, My-Tien Nguyen, said this is the second time the restaurant has been the target of vandals.
About a month ago, someone spraypainted the windows of the restaurant as well as the lions.
“(The lions) protect the business and bring good fortune to the neighbourhood and they’re supposed to protect everything in this area,” said Nguyen. “They’re really symbolic of our culture, so it was really upsetting.”
The community showed its support for the business, particularly Prestige Painting who helped rid the lion of graffiti. The restaurant has been receiving phones calls of support again with individuals offering to help.
“It shows how close-knit everyone is in Thunder Bay and how they’re willing to help each other,” said Nguyen, adding she believes both incidents were random and that the business isn’t being specifically targeted.
It’s unknown if the damaged statue can be fixed as it was made by family friend, Frank Tropea, who has since passed away.
Thunder Bay police are investigating the incident.
