Whitehorse's new rainbow crosswalk vandalized
Philippe Morin | CBC News | Posted: June 13, 2017 7:54 PM | Last Updated: June 13, 2017
Mayor Dan Curtis calls it an act of 'ignorance', and vows skid marks will be removed
Whitehorse's new rainbow crosswalk has been vandalised, only a few days after it was painted.
An eyewitness says a driver in a pickup truck deliberately spun the tires Monday to create skid marks. The driver then reportedly returned a second time, creating four marks in all.
The rainbow colours represent the Pride movement, and the crosswalk painted at Main Street along Third Avenue is intended as a gesture of respect and inclusion.
Whitehorse Mayor Dan Curtis calls the vandalism an act of ignorance.
"It's very predictable, and it just showcases and highlights the reason we're doing this," he said.
"It showcases there is a segment of our population — small as it may be — that is ignorant. They feel they have to disgrace something like this."
Curtis says rubber marks will soon be removed, and the crosswalk colours restored.
"The beautiful thing is — we didn't just paint these flags down. We burned them into the asphalt. The rubber marks will come off long before the flag comes down," he said.