ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Orlando officials denounced the removal of an overnight rainbow crossing on Thursday Pulse Night Club 49 people were shot and said it was part of a Republican Ron DeSantis administration’s attack on LGBTQ lives.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said paintings by rainbow-colored national workers, often associated with LGBTQ pride, were “ruthless” and “cruel political acts.” The 2016 LGBTQ-friendly nightclub massacre was the worst mass shooting in modern history at the time.
“This crosswalk not only improved the safety and visibility of the numerous pedestrians visiting the monument, but also served as a visual reminder of their commitment to honoring the lives of 49 Orlando people,” Dyer said.
State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democrat from Orlando, called the overnight removal work a co-ill act.
“They knew what they did was wrong, so they were scared of resistance, so they did this in the middle of the night,” said Smith, who is openly gay.
The Florida Department of Transport did not respond to emailed inquiries seeking comment. The Rainbow Crosswalk was originally set up by the state in 2017, Dyer said.
State transport had been notifying cities around Florida in recent months that they could either remove rainbow crossings and intersections or face withholding of transport funds. The cities notified were Delray Beach, Key West and St. Petersburg. Earlier this week, officials in St. Petersburg called for exemptions from five street art installations, saying they would create a strong sense of community. They include Rainbow Crossing, Black Life Matter murals and South Florida-themed Crosswalk University.
Will Watts, secretary of the Florida Department of Transport; A memo has been issued In June, we banned “surface art” on crosswalks, sidewalks, intersections, travel lanes, or shoulders. The memo “prohibits “surface art” related to social, political, or ideological messages or images and does not serve traffic management purposes. ”
Desantis said on social media on Thursday that he would “not allow state roads to be politically commanded.”
Pulse Nightclub Photography During the Latin Night celebration on June 12, 2016, 49 people were killed and 53 injured. Omar Meiten, the attacker who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, was killed after a three-hour conflict with police. At the time, it was the worst mass shooting in modern American history. However, the number exceeded the number the following year. 58 people were killed More than 850 people were injured in a crowd of 22,000 at the Las Vegas Country Music Festival.
After news spread that the rainbow colours had spread, a small number of residents gathered at the crosswalk and waving rainbow flags. Some are colored on the crosswalk with chalk, but their efforts have been washed away by afternoon storms.
Rep. Smith has promised that once the state moves down the road, the LGBTQ community will not be erased at the site where permanent monuments are planned.
“There’s a rainbow mural nearby, and it’s even bigger, weirder and more colorful than they imagined,” Smith said.
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