ORLANDO, Fla. — The Rainbow painted crosswalk at the Pulse nightclub site has been removed.
The City of Orlando released the following statement for Channel 9 on Thursday:
Statement from Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer:
“We are devastated to learn that overnight the state painted over the Pulse Memorial crosswalk on Orange Avenue. 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 data, or discussion is a cruel political act.
The City of Orlando’s safety crosswalks were all installed in close coordination with the state and adhere to national safety standards. In fact, the crosswalk that is part of the Pulse Memorial was installed by the state.
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 on June 12, 2016.
While the state works to erase the memory of the victims of the Pulse tragedy by painting over the crosswalk, our community’s commitment to honoring the 49, and completing the memorial, will never waver.”
The change comes after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called for the removal of certain crosswalk designs the administration deems politically charged and distracting.
Channel 9 is working to gather more information and will provide updates on Eyewitness News.
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