A company that rents motorized electric scooters has implemented a “no-go zone” around a rainbow-colored “Pride” mural painted on the street in downtown Spokane, WA that was “vandalized” last week.
Several teens were arrested for driving over the mural at the intersection of Spokane Falls Boulevard and Howard Street after a furious response by local officials who treated the incident like the desecration of a religious shine.
Lime, the company that operates the scooters, responded by designating the mural as a “no-go zone” and has identified such areas with red shading in maps on the company’s app. According to Lime’s website, its scooters “aren’t authorized to travel in no-go zones” and the vehicle will “gradually come to a stop,” forcing the rider to walk until exiting the zone.
The pride flag crosswalk in Spokane, Washington, has now been designated a “no-go zone” by Lime scooters following the arrest of multiple teens for leaving “skid marks” on the mural.
The scooters will now shut down if they are driven over the pride flag.https://t.co/wNDvgLi1f8
— ThePublica (@ThePublicaNow) June 9, 2024
On June 5 around 9:00 p.m., officers responded to a call that the newly painted mural had been defiled and upon arrival at the scene, observed “widespread damage as black scuff marks consistent with scooter wheels” across “the entirety” of the street mural. According to witnesses, “One of the suspects yelled obscenities toward them before leaving the area,” police said in a statement.
City officials reacted by launching a manhunt for the perpetrators of the grave offense against the culturally dominant LGBTQ community with some leaders reportedly breaking down in tears during a press conference.
(Video Credit: KREM 2 News)
“All of us at Lime condemn these vile acts in no uncertain terms. At a time when our teams at Lime are beginning pride celebrations around the globe, it is disturbing to see the hate taking place in Spokane,” huffed Lime’s Director of Government Relations Hayden Harvey. “Lime is taking immediate action against the perpetrators and doubling down on our support of Spokane Pride and Spokane Arts.
X users had some thoughts.
Wow they really treat it like a sacred religious object
— Furio of Antioch (@musashi_riposte) June 9, 2024
It’s on the road. Get over it.
— Jacob Airey (@realJacobAirey) June 7, 2024
So these scooters can’t cross at that intersection now?
Maybe a better solution is to not put protected imagery on a roadway.
— matt dooley (@mdooley) June 10, 2024
So you can burn an American flag or piss on a priest’s leg in a Catholic Church but you can’t ride a scooter in a crosswalk that celebrates how people like to have sex. Got it.
— Mocking SF Values (@Mockingsfvalues) June 10, 2024
Then it’s not a crosswalk.
It’s an altar that Caesar had ordered be venerated.
— Erik Johnson (@RedProdigal) June 9, 2024
All pagan religions have their sacred icons that shall not be desecrated.
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) June 10, 2024
This actually puts lime at risk if the scooter shuts down causing an accident
— Michael T Megois ☠️ (@CptGunBeard) June 9, 2024
I think we should all take several long moments to discuss the fact that technology exists to create no go zones for public streets. https://t.co/mqhgcjRPgH
— alexandriabrown (@alexthechick) June 10, 2024
“19-year-old Ruslan V. V. Turko and two minors were arrested for first-degree malicious mischief,” KREM reported.
The offense is considered a “hate crime” and is punishable by up to 5 years in jail and up to a $10,000 fine.
“We will not let the hateful few spoil the joy of Pride Month in Spokane, and are grateful for those working to make Spokane more welcoming for all,” Harvey said.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Chris Donaldson
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://www.bizpacreview.com and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.