Cones sit atop the vandalization after paint was splattered over the crosswalk at East Lane and Waldeck Avenue this Monday. Credit: Daniel Bush | Campus Photo Editor
A rainbow crosswalk in University District was defaced in black paint this past Tuesday. Though these colors have long been equated with LGBTQ+ pride, the street wasn’t painted for that reason.
The rainbow crosswalk — located at East Lane and Waldeck Avenue — was part of a research study from the Federal Highway Administration to see if different crosswalk designs would influence specific behaviors from drivers and walkers, according to reporting from Columbus Underground.
People reported the defacing on Reddit, and Columbus officials became aware of this vandalism on Aug. 25 after receiving two 311 calls, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
Users on Reddit expressed a variety of emotions over the vandalization. One user said, “Where is this? Is anyone willing to organize to help repaint it[?]”
One user called to paint more things the color of a rainbow, which received almost 50 upvotes.
“Don’t be sad — I think this is a great example of when we need to ‘point and laugh,’” one user commented. “Not only are they defacing public property, but they were nowhere near successful in covering up the rainbow.”
Some users agree with the vandalization, saying that we should not have rainbow crosswalks in the first place, with a user saying, “It needed touched up anyways.” That comment received almost 30 downvotes.
This crosswalk is one of five in the Columbus area that are part of the study. One crosswalk — located at Indianola Avenue and Tompkins Street — is painted with a brick pattern. The defaced rainbow crosswalk on East Lane and Waldeck Avenue has a similar design with the crossing at West Third and Hunter Avenue, according to Columbus Underground.
This defacing follows Florida’s order to repaint all rainbow crosswalks in that state, according to reports from the AP. Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, said on X that the state will not allow its roads to be “commandeered for political purposes.”
A rainbow crosswalk in Orlando, Florida, that was part of the Pulse Memorial was repainted by the city to remove the colors. The Pulse Memorial honored the 49 individuals who were fatally shot by a gunman at the Pulse LGBTQ nightclub back in 2016, according to NBC.
The Lantern reached out to the City of Columbus for a comment but did not get a response by time of publication.
