Orlando officials condemn removal of rainbow crosswalk near Pulse nightclub mass shooting site as a ‘cruel political act’
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Orlando officials on Thursday condemned the state’s overnight removal of a rainbow crosswalk outside the Pulse nightclub – a commemoration of the 49 people killed at the LGBTQ-friendly nightclub in 2016.
Painting over one of the most important landmarks of the state’s LGBTQ community is part of a larger attack on LGBTQ people by Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration, officials say.
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Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he was “devastated” by the removal of the Pulse memorial crosswalk.
“This callous action of hastily removing part of a memorial to what was at the time our nation’s largest mass shooting, without any supporting safety or discussion, is a cruel political act,” Dyer said in a post on X.
The crosswalk was installed by the state in 2017 and adheres to national safety standards, Dyer added. The colorful crosswalk added visibility, making it safer for the large number of visitors to the memorial, he said.
CNN has reached out to the Florida Department of Transportation for comment.
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The removal comes only two months after the city marked the nine-year anniversary of the Pulse tragedy. On June 12, 2016, a gunman opened fire at the popular gay nightclub, making it the worst mass shooting in modern US history at the time.
In a photo from 2021, the crosswalk painted in Pride colors in front of the of the onePULSE Foundation's Pulse Interim Memorial, honoring victims of the nightclub shooting.
In a photo from 2021, the crosswalk painted in Pride colors in front of the of the onePULSE Foundation's Pulse Interim Memorial, honoring victims of the nightclub shooting. Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP/File
The removal also comes during campaigns by the state and Trump administration to paint over “asphalt art,” including rainbow crosswalks. The dual directives are calling this a safety measure to make roads easier to navigate without distractions.
In June, the Florida Department of Transportation issued a memo prohibiting crosswalk markings and pavement surface art “associated with social, political, or ideological messages or images and does not serve the purpose of traffic control.”
The following month, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to governors of all 50 states saying intersections and crosswalks should be “kept free from distractions.”
“Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks,” Duffy said about the letter in an X post on July 1. “Political banners have no place on public roads. I’m reminding recipients of USDOT roadway funding that it’s limited to features advancing safety, and nothing else.”