The Pride rainbow crosswalk at Fourth Avenue and Borland Street in Williams Lake has again been defaced and the local Pride group is planning a show of support in response.
Members of the Williams Lake Pride Society were volunteering during an event at the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Centre on Thursday, Oct. 6, and noticed black burnout marks on the crosswalk when they came back outside.
The Williams Lake Pride Society had the crosswalk installed in 2018 to show support for members of the LGBTQ2S community. Billie Sheridan, secretary for the group said this is the third or fourth time it has been vandalized.
“This isn’t new,” said Sheridan, who remains hopeful the community is coming to be more accepting, but was saddened to learn their crosswalk was not alone in being vandalized.
She was surprised the Orange Shirt Day crosswalk in the lakecity has also been defaced.
“What does it say towards inclusivity in this community that someone is going out to crosswalks and marking them up with their vehicles?”
After the story was posted this week on the Tribune website, city of Williams Lake public works staff cleaned off the markings.
This Sunday, Oct. 23, the group is asking people to come out as a show of support for the LGBTQ2S community from 1-3 p.m.
The event had initially been planned as a group clean up effort, but instead will be a show of support.
“It shows we’re not going to stand for this sort of thing in our community.”
She remains optimistic about the direction things are going however, mentioning this year’s raising of the Pride flag at city hall for Pride week.
“Communities change, I’ve seen it,” she said. “We’re getting there slowly and surely.”
Editor’s note: The story has now been updated to include the city public work’s department efforts to restore the crosswalk.
Read more: Don’t be afraid of a splash of colour
ruth.lloyd@wltribune.com
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