Three people were arrested by Florida Highway Patrol Sunday evening at the Pulse nightclub memorial site, after witnesses say they again attempted to chalk the nearby crosswalk in rainbow colors that were recently removed by the Florida Department of Transportation.
This comes after one arrest Friday night of a man who faced similar allegations.
FHP troopers handcuffed three protesters after they allegedly colored in the contentious crosswalk with rainbow colors and wrote the words “Right to free speech” into the black spaces.
Some residents and lawmakers viewed the rainbow crosswalk as a memorial to the 49 people killed in the Pulse nightclub mass shooting in 2016, and the rainbow’s surprise removal by F-D-O-T has caused ongoing protests.
This comes two days after 29-year-old Orestes Sebastian Suarez was arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol for allegedly rubbing colored chalk on the bottom of his shoes before he walked across the crosswalk.
He was charged with criminal mischief and interfering with a traffic control device.
A judge ordered his release Saturday morning after finding no probable cause for the arrest.
Signs warning protesters not to “deface” the roadway or sidewalks have accumulated near the area as protesters vow they will continue to draw rainbows at least on the sidewalk.
This is a developing story. Please check back for more information.
