What happened
Officials in Orlando Thursday criticized Florida's state government for painting over a rainbow-colored crosswalk outside Pulse, the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were shot dead in 2016. The Florida Department of Transportation did not comment on the overnight paint job but Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said on social media that he "will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes."
Who said what
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer (D) said the Florida transportation department installed the rainbow crosswalk in 2017, and it was a "callous" and "cruel political act" to "hastily" repaint it with no warning or discussion. The crosswalk "not only enhanced safety and visibility" for people visiting the Pulse memorial, he said, it "also served as a visual reminder of Orlando's commitment to honor the 49 lives taken."
The overnight "clandestine repainting" was apparently part of a push by state and federal transportation officials to "wipe 'political banners' from public roadways," the Orlando Sentinel said. After Florida warned cities to erase political or ideological "surface art," U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy nationalized that effort with a "safety initiative" in July. "Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks," he said on social media.
What next?
Orlando officials said they didn't believe the city "has the authority to paint back the rainbow," the Sentinel said. Some residents who gathered outside Pulse Thursday to criticize the rainbow's removal "colored in the crosswalk with chalk," The Associated Press said, "but their efforts were washed away by an afternoon rainstorm."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale – a ‘comfort’ watch for fansThe Week Recommends The final film of the franchise gives viewers a chance to say goodbye
-
The Paper: new show, same 'warmth and goofiness'The Week Recommends This spin-off of the American version of The Office is ‘comfortingly and wearyingly familiar’
-
Rachel Jones: Gated Canyons – ‘riotously colourful’ works from an ‘exhilarating’ painterThe Week Recommends The 34-year-old is the first artist to take over Dulwich Picture Gallery’s main space
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Get a taste of place at these regional US restaurant chainsThe Week Recommends Eat where the locals do
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
