Fake Kijiji ads sell Barton jail memorial crosses as firewood, Halloween decorations

Families who lost loved ones at the Barton jail painstakingly painted 16 crosses bearing their names then personalized them with photos and mementos.

Now, someone on Kijiji  is pretending to sell those same memorials online as firewood — and offering extra money to see them burn.

It's a cruel joke that's left the families wondering who would go out of their way to insult them. It's also forced them to realize just how strong the opposition to the changes they're trying to make to the corrections system can be.

Amy McKechnie, whose brother Ryan died at the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre (HWDC)  in 2017, is no stranger to harsh words about inmates or their families. She's seen too many comment sections riddled with phrases like "waste of taxpayer dollars" and "good riddance."

But last night, when someone sent her a link to the Kijiji ads asking for a removal specialist and describing the crosses as art or Halloween decorations, she felt hurt and anger.

"Yes, they were they were in jail, they were inmates," she explained, adding she's well aware many people don't care about those behind bars. "But to do something like that and disrespect not only their memory but their families. There's something wrong. That's pretty disgusting."

Different ads listing the jail's address and trying to "sell" the crosses have popped up online over the past few days from accounts using different pseudonyms, according to McKechnie. Every time someone reports one ad another appears.

'Worth more than the lives these crosses represent'

"These crosses signify the many men and women of society's underbelly who are taking a dirt nap due to their unwavering addiction to self destruction," read one posted Friday night.

"They were created by the meth loving families of the dirtbags they represent!"

Another included an asking price of $5 for the whole set. "Worth more than the lives these crosses represent," it read.

The third called the crosses "eye-sores" signifying "loser" inmates.

"I'm willing to pay extra compensation if you send me a photograph of these crosses in a firepit burning," it stated.

If it was your loved one in there. Wouldn't you want us fighting for them?- Amy McKechnie

The poster used CBC News photos taken during protests at the jail and on the day the crosses were planted, to illustrate the listing, including one showing McKechnie standing behind the cross with her brother's name, along with others whose family members died at the jail.

"As if all of these families have not suffered enough and gone through enough pain and heartache," she said. "Now we have to deal with unthinkable disrespect of our love one's memorial site."

Someone has a 'sick sense of humour'

There's nothing in the ads to indicate with any certainty who's making them, though they do share similarities in tone and in some cases recycle full sentences.

All were posted by an account using the name Ben Dover, a joke handle favoured by elementary school kids making crank-calls.

Someone did respond to questions CBC News sent to the Kijiji account. They claimed their real name was that of a person recently arrested by Hamilton police and said the media attention on the jail was hurting the "inmate smuggling ring."

Their only message to the families was "Don't do drugs." 

In a follow-up message the poster changed their story, saying they were actually a parent with a child at the hospital next to the jail who was tired of looking out their window and seeing a "grave yard" across the street.

"You'll do news broadcasts about these worthless parents whos [sic] "kids" overdosed in jail but wont say anything about the kids dying across the street," it read.

The ads were pulled down around the same time.

McKechnie has her own theory about who might be behind the ads.

"It's obviously someone who had some kind of integration … with one of them, all of them … I don't know. They've got some kind of sick sense of humour."

Each of the ads had dozens of visits as of 11 a.m. Saturday, with the most recent racking up more than 200.

Some of those clicks came from McKechnie and other family members as they checked in to see if the ads were still there.

She said she's reported each of them to Kijiji, but has yet to hear back.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CBC News.

'This shows that people don't care'

Since her brother's death, McKechnie says the response she and the other families have received from the public and even government officials when trying to make changes to corrections has left her asking the same question: Who cares?

After a friend sent her a link to the Kijiji ads, she feels she has her answer.

"This shows that people don't care," she said.

Still, that attitude is something she can't quite understand.

"If it was your loved one in there wouldn't you want us fighting for them?" she asked. "It's better than your loved one coming out in a body bag like ours did."