ORLANDO, Fla. — The fight over the Pulse rainbow crosswalk is intensifying in Orlando. Demonstrators once again gathered outside the Pulse nightclub memorial on Friday, demanding that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) restore the colors that were removed earlier this month.
FDOT crews have repeatedly pressure-washed the pavement to remove chalk drawings left by protesters. On Friday, the agency installed new warning signs and told demonstrators they could be arrested if they continued recoloring the crosswalk.
Video captured exchanges between officers and demonstrators as emotions ran high. “It’s going to be your first warning, okay?” one trooper said. “Warning for what?” a demonstrator asked in response.
“Criminal mischief? So again, it’s putting colors on top of the crosswalk. How is that mischief?” one person asked.
At least four people were warned they could face arrest. Protester James Houchins was one of them and argued that chalk drawings are temporary. “Chalk is not permanent. Chalk is not defacing. It’s gone. They came by, they washed it away,” Houchins said.
Legal Questions About Arrest Threats
Channel 9’s legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said prosecutors would face challenges making a case. “You have to have intent to damage the property. What is the damage?” Sheaffer said. “That is a far, far stretch in this, I believe, the state’s weakest argument of all.”
FDOT issued a statement Friday reiterating its position:
Vandalizing state property and/or disrupting traffic in any way is unsafe and illegal. These illegal actions will not be tolerated and will be fully enforced by law enforcement.
The crosswalk at Orange Avenue and Esther Street is within the state right-of-way. Therefore, FDOT has brought the pavement at this location and numerous others on state-maintained roadways into compliance with the law.
Despite the threat of arrest, demonstrators say they will not stop. “We just want the colors back. Restore it. That’s all we want,” Houchins said. “We’re going to chalk it again, right? We are not backing down,” said demonstrator Ella Tam Ashasky.
Protesters say they will return to the Pulse nightclub site at 10 a.m. Saturday to continue the rainbow crosswalk protest.
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