Rainbow crosswalk vandalism ‘a symbol’

Waterloo's rainbow walkway vandalized From CTV Kitchener's Maleeha Sheikh: The day after it was unveiled, the rainbow pride walkway was the victim of vehicular 'burnout' streaks.

The rainbow crosswalk on Willis Way in Uptown Waterloo was installed to symbolize the city’s commitment to the LGBTQ2+ community.

The day after it was unveiled, the crosswalk was allegedly defaced with what appeared to be a black streak from the tire of a vehicle.

“This is a symbol of what the LGBTQ community goes through on a regular basis,” said mayor of Waterloo Dave Jaworsky.

He said that the city is waiting on information from the installer on how to go about repairing the mark.

Members of the community said they were disappointed, but not surprised.

“We knew there would be vandalism, we were kind of hoping it would be something like graffiti, something that would be easily dealt with,” said Cait Glasson, president of Spectrum.

The Waterloo crosswalk, along with one in Kitchener, was unveiled during the tri-Pride Festival, which takes place from May 22 to June 6.