Denture Clinic Signs Were Taken Down Out Of Public Safety Concern
DARTMOUTH – When the Halifax Regional Police removed the signs at Atlantic Denture clinic, the Dartmouth community loudly applauded the move. The giant decorative smiles dominated the outside walls and, to many, represented a mocking reminder of the tragedy that took 22 lives.
But it was unknown at the time how the police got the authority to remove the signs which, legally, they didn’t own. In a response to Huddle’s questions, a spokesperson for the HRP said the signs were removed as an act of public safety.
“The Chief consulted the crown and used authorities at his disposal to keep peace and prevent any potential actions that could jeopardize public safety,” reads the emailed statement. “Given the extraordinary circumstances, the decision was made to have the signage removed.”
Sam Austin, HRM’s councilor for Dartmouth Centre, agrees that there was a safety issue. The smiles on Portland street were creating tremendous anger in the community.
“If you look at the petition (to have the signs removed), there is more than one person saying ‘just burn it down’,” said Austin. “The last thing you want is a place like this being a target for potential vigilante action, because there’s a building right next door. You don’t want to have tragedy compounding on a tragedy.”
“The signs have always caused a mixed reaction from people throughout the community. But after the tragedy, they went from being this quirky thing…to this thing that had taken on an entirely different, and sinister, tone.”
Austin began receiving complaints about the smiles from Dartmouth residents within hours of the tragedy. When the decision was made to tear the signage down, the city councillor heard no debate on the matter.
“There was nobody writing to me saying, ‘oh, please don’t tear down the signs.’ There was not really any controversy…The only question was: can we really remove them?” Said Austin.
“I think for some people that was the reaction to it. It was a reminder (of the shootings) and a reminder of him and people didn’t want to see it.”
As for Austin’s personal feelings on the matter? He too was relieved to see the signs gone.
“My own personal feelings: I was really happy to see them come down. They’ve taken on some different connotation and it was time for them to go.”
Another resident who was relieved to see the smiles removed was 20-year Dartmouth resident Lynn Maughan. She is the woman who started the online petition to have the decorations removed, which gained thousands of signatures with days.
As someone who lives in the area, Maughan couldn’t stomach walking by the denture clinic in the aftermath of the shootings.
“When I was out on Monday morning after Nova Scotia woke up to the tragedies that had occurred overnight and I see that just glaring at me, my first thought [was], ‘oh my goodness this has to come down,’ ” said Maughan.
“It felt like a complete slap in the face and it felt like, sort of laughter from the grave. And it was creepy and … I didn’t like the feeling I had looking at it, and I thought I know I’m not alone in thinking that.”
Now, the idea that a respected local businessman can turn into a mass shooter has shaken Maughan’s trust in human nature.
“It’s kind of hard to put into words. But this feeling of deceit, like we’ve had the wool completely pulled over our eyes. I mean, we’re talking about a man here who a few short years ago was the hero and giving free dentures away…” she said.
“It shakes your confidence a bit in humanity. This person who put himself out to be somebody who was so loving or nurturing or friendly or any of those things is now … what do you say besides an evil human being with so much hate and darkness about him? It just shakes you a bit.”
With files from Trevor Nichols