Atlanta famous rainbow crosswalks in Midtown were defaced by street racers Sunday night (February 20).
According to WSB-TV, tire marks across the intersection of Piedmont Avenue and 10th Street indicate that there was someone doing donuts. Police responded to reports of street racing in the area but didn’t issue any citations.
The crosswalks were cleaned up on Tuesday (February 22) by the Department of Transportation (DOT). DOT Commissioner Josh Rowan told reporters that if the crosswalk had been cleaner, the tire marks might have adhered to the paint and wouldn’t have come up as easily.
Spotted on my drive into work… @ATLDOT crews cleaning up the rainbow crosswalk in midtown @cbs46 #cbs46 #atl #midtownatl @MidtownATL pic.twitter.com/4gEbkNRacZ
— Rachel Polansky (@RPolanskyNews) February 22, 2022
A big thanks to @ATLDOT for getting out to the rainbow crosswalks at 10th and Piedmont this morning and cleaning them up! We appreciate the quick response, and they look beautiful. pic.twitter.com/74S41r3c22
— Midtown Atlanta (@MidtownATL) February 22, 2022
“You can see where removing the tire tracks, it’s really actually cleaning the crosswalk, so we want to get the grunge and the grit off the whole thing,” Rowan said. “So, by [Wednesday] morning, it should actually look better than before all the street racing and burnouts that happened here.”
The rainbow crosswalks were permanently installed June 2017 under the administration of former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed after being temporarily introduced for Atlanta Pride in 2015.
“I believe that symbols of unity matter,” Reed said when announcing the permanent installation. “This intersection in Midtown is recognized for its history as a hub for Atlanta’s LGBTQ community, and it is fitting that such an important and recognizable place should feature the rainbow flag. We must never forget that love defeats hate, and light defeats darkness.”