NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Two weeks after it was installed, the community returned to Nashville’s first rainbow crosswalk to touch up the paint where it was vandalized.
The rainbow crosswalk is located at the intersection of 14th St. and Woodland St. in East Nashville outside of the Lipstick Lounge, the state’s only lesbian-owned bar. It’s meant to be a celebration of the city’s LGBTQ+ community.
According to the Metro Council’s LGBTQ Caucus, the crosswalk was vandalized on July 2, but the Caucus wasn’t made aware until July 4.
Officials said black paint was “purposefully spilled in multiple locations at the intersection of 14th and Woodland Streets.” The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) told News 2 that a detective is investigating the incident, adding that surveillance footage shows a man wearing a black T-shirt in a white Ford van pouring paint out of the driver’s side window onto the crosswalk at approximately 12:25 p.m. on July 2.
LGBTQ Caucus Chair and District 7 Metro Councilwoman Emily Benedict said she expects the suspect to be charged with destruction of public property once caught.
If you have any information about the driver or the van involved in this vandalism incident, you are asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.
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Around 50 people came to repaint the rainbow crosswalk on Saturday.
“There was a huge crowd out here filled with love and joy to repaint this crosswalk, said Clay Capp, District 6 Metro Council Member. “We've got more love than they do, and we've got more paint than they do, so we repainted.”
Mac Huffington, immediate past president of Nashville Pride, said it’s inspiring to see people of all ages and backgrounds continue to support the LGBTQ+ community no matter the hate that may be thrown their way.
“What went down today was just erasing the hate that someone previously put on our rainbow crosswalk,” Huffington said. “It means showing our love, our dedication, our passion for being who we are and for expressing who we are. The community outpour again of pride folks, allies, NDOT, the caucus, all of us, again, coming together to show that this is important to us.”
from WKRN News 2 https://ift.tt/wXBQUuM
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