Just a little more than three days after it was painted across Anderson Lane Monday evening, the rainbow crosswalk in Niagara-on-the-Lake has been vandalized.
Photos of the crosswalk sent to PelhamToday sister publication the NOTL Local early Friday morning show circular tire marks defacing the vibrant, freshly-applied colours in a way that seems purposeful.
After two years of discussions, the crosswalk has been installed across the road used to access the NOTL Public Library and the community centre.
A story in The Local published earlier this week, and posted on its Village Media website and Facebook page, had received more than 180 comments by Thursday afternoon, a mixture of some extremely supportive and some very strongly outspoken in displeasure at the installation.
Steffanie Bjorgan was one of the first to comment, and was very positive, thrilled to see it finally happen. "I was so happy to read that it was there, I drove by it. It was beautiful," she told The Local. She even encouraged her mother to go and see it "before something happens to it,” anticipating a backlash.
Sadly, she says, she wasn't surprised to hear it had been defaced, and had some choice words for the person who did it.
"I'm sad our society hasn’t evolved past this point, especially in NOTL. This is such an affluent community, open, cultured, and aware. But sadly there are people who just can't wrap their heads around anyone they see as different.”
She'd like to think of this town as an accepting community, she says, but to see the crosswalk vandalized, at the entrance of the community centre — a location of all places "where the whole concept is that everyone in the community should be accepted," is especially disturbing. “If you don't like it,” she says to those who don't agree with a rainbow crosswalk, "why don't you just drive by?”
The Progressive Pride design of the crosswalk is the same as the one by the Niagara Region buildings on St. David’s Road, as is the Pride flag flying at the town hall, with the addition of black, brown, light blue, pink and white stripes.
"The light blue, pink and white represent trans and non-binary individuals, and the black and brown represent marginalized people of colour. The painting of this crosswalk serves as a visible reminder that all are welcome in Niagara-on-the-Lake,” says Tuesday's town news release.
Town CAO Marnie Cluckie, hearing of the incident early Friday, told The Local, "I learned of the damage to the crosswalk this morning and have asked staff to investigate."
In an email Friday afternoon, Cluckie says, "While we cannot yet confirm whether the markings result from deliberate vandalism, staff have notified the Niagara Regional Police Service for further investigation and follow-up, should they deem it appropriate. Staff is working to clean the markings on the rainbow crosswalk and investigate the cause."
The town is committed to celebrating diversity and supporting inclusivity, she says, and the rainbow crosswalk at the Niagara Stone Road and Anderson Lane intersection, and the bench at the Virgil Sports Park, are two ways the town demonstrates its commitment to celebrating diversity and supporting inclusivity," she says.
"Niagara-on-the-Lake is a proud ally in building awareness and advocating for acceptance today and every day. As such, deliberate defacing of these rainbow infrastructures will not be tolerated. Niagara-on-the-Lake strives to be a place of belonging, acceptance, and respect for everyone."
On Tuesday, Cluckie told The Local a small ribbon-cutting ceremony would be held “to honour and celebrate this initiative sometime during Pride Month in June,” with a date to be confirmed.
