State workers painted over a rainbow-colored crosswalk outside the Pulse nightclub memorial in Orlando, removing a symbol tied to LGBTQ pride and the memory of 49 victims. Orlando officials characterized the overnight removal as callous and a cruel political act and said the crosswalk enhanced pedestrian safety and honored lives lost. State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith called the action cowardly and said workers acted at night out of fear of resistance. The Florida Department of Transportation did not respond to requests for comment. The rainbow crosswalk was originally installed in 2017. The state warned cities they must remove rainbow crossings or risk withheld transportation funds.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Orlando officials on Thursday denounced the overnight removal of a rainbow-colored crosswalk outside the Pulse nightclub where 49 people were gunned down, saying it was part of an attack on LGBTQ lives by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said the painting over by state workers of the crosswalk with rainbow colors often associated with LGBTQ pride was "callous" and "a 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 said. State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democrat from Orlando, called the overnight removal work a cowardly act. "They did this in the middle of the night because they were scared of the resistance because they know what they did was wrong," said Smith, who is openly gay.
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