Miami Beach residents woke up Monday morning to see the colorful LGBTQ+ pride crosswalk on iconic Ocean Drive muted with black paint after it had been covered up by state officials.
The city was not informed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) before workers arrived 鈥� according to Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez 鈥� following an that it had lost its appeal to save the crosswalk.
The state has erased multiple street murals across South Florida in the past month with the claim that they were a road safety risk.
READ MORE: Miami Beach joins other Florida cities in protecting rainbow crosswalks
Local residents and drag performers gathered Sunday around the street art, on the intersection of Ocean Drive and 12th Street, as FDOT workers began dismantling it around 6 p.m. The protesters chanted and held signs stating 鈥淔orever Proud,鈥� the name of the initial protest held in late August as the city began facing pressure to scrub it or risk losing state funding.
Ana Besu, 63, a Miami resident who visits Ocean Drive often, told SA国际传谋 the removal was 鈥渞idiculous and disgusting鈥� and that the state 鈥渟hould be concentrating on other issues that are more important to our community such as the cost of living [and] homelessness.鈥�
Andrew Becerra, a 44 year-old Overtown resident, said the mural meant more to visitors than just the artwork displayed.
鈥淎s a member of the LGBTQ+ community鈥� these colors were never just paint,鈥� Becerra told SA国际传谋. 鈥淭hey represented visibility, acceptance and a reminder that our city values every resident. Covering them sends a painful message that inclusion is optional or temporary.鈥�
Commissioner Fernandez told SA国际传谋 that he is looking for alternatives to continue representing the city鈥檚 LGBTQ+ community, including a proposal in the city commission to rename the intersection of 12th Street and Ocean Drive 鈥淧ride Street鈥� and continuing to display flags at the intersection.
He added that Miami Beach officials kept the mural鈥檚 bricks in the city鈥檚 possession with the goal of repurposing them into another community symbol.
鈥淭his is a moment in history that has to be documented so that future generations don鈥檛 relive this,鈥� said Fernandez. 鈥淲e will overcome this moment in a time where people are being silenced, when people are being erased."
Other activists say they are looking to channel the feelings of those hurt by the crosswalk鈥檚 removal into further civic engagement across South Florida.
鈥淭he removal of the Pride crosswalk doesn鈥檛 erase its meaning 鈥� it only reinforces why visibility and representation matter,鈥� said Miles Davis, Director of Advocacy and Communications at South Florida LGBTQ+ rights advocacy group 鈥淲e鈥檙e turning this moment into action: registering voters, organizing across more cities, and electing pro-equality leaders who will protect inclusive spaces.鈥�
