Florida Officials Paint Over Rainbow Crosswalk Outside Pulse Nightclub

Residents and officials in Orlando are expressing outrage and disappointment after a rainbow crosswalk painted in tribute to the 49 people killed during the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting was painted over after a mandate by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. 

According to AP News, state transportation officials painted the crosswalk black in the middle of the night last Wednesday with no prior warning. “They did this in the middle of the night because they were scared of the resistance because they know what they did was wrong,” State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, an openly gay Democrat representing Orlando, told AP. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer called the removal of the rainbow crosswalk a “callous” and “cruel political act.”

“This crosswalk not only enhanced safety and visibility for the large number of pedestrians visiting the memorial, it also served as a visual reminder of Orlando’s commitment to honor the 49 lives taken,” Dyer told AP.

Pulse was an LGBTQ nightclub that became the site of one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history in June 2016. The rainbow crosswalk was installed outside Pulse nightclub only a year later. I can’t help but feel a degree of disgust that the removal occurred so soon after the 9th anniversary of the shooting. This country will argue to no avail over why we need Confederate monuments, but a simple yet meaningful tribute to the 49 LGBTQ people who were killed in a place where they should have felt the safest can be erased in the middle of the night like nothing. 

If that doesn’t tell you whose lives really matter in America, I don’t know what does. 

Orlando residents have begun protesting the removal by coloring over the crosswalk with chalk. Orlando police officers and the Florida Highway Patrol are patrolling the crosswalk to make sure no one repaints it. I’m sure the officers don’t have countless better uses of their time than ensuring locals don’t honor the 49 LGBTQ people who were killed in a vile act of hate. 

The removal came as a result of a July directive from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, giving governors 60 days to address “safety concerns.” Those “concerns” mostly focus on artwork and political messaging on roadways. 

“Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork,” Duffy said in the directive. 

I love that the Transportation Secretary has prioritized the color of crosswalks in lieu of overhauling America’s public transportation systems, restoring roads, or even making air travel safer. 

Clearly, this is a man who has his priorities in check. 

Will Watts, an assistant secretary for the Florida Department of Transportation, issued a memo banning “surface art” with “social, political or ideological messages or images and does not serve the purpose of traffic control.” If Florida cities don’t comply with the ban, they risk having their transportation funding pulled. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava released a statement criticizing the move by the state transportation department. 

“I am outraged by the State of Florida’s decision to forcefully remove Pride crosswalks — symbols of love, support, and unity in our communities,” Cava said in the statement. “These vibrant installations are more than paint on pavement. They reflect the values we hold dear in Miami-Dade: respect, appreciation of fellow neighbors, and the fundamental right to live and love openly.”

“We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes,” Florida Governor and all-around weirdo Ron DeSantis posted to social media on Thursday. Mind you, this is the same dude advocating for glorified participation trophies to the failed Confederate army. 

Betraying your country? Totally fine! Being killed at an LGBTQ nightclub? Well, that’s simply where Ron DeSantis draws the line. 

State Rep. Smith told AP that if the state legislature gets its way, a permanent monument will be placed outside Pulse nightclub. “There will be a rainbow mural nearby that is even bigger, queerer, and more colorful than they ever imagined,” Smith said.

SEE ALSO:

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50 Killed In Orlando Nightclub Shooting, Deadliest Mass Shooting In U.S. History