ORLANDO, Fla. — Two murals in downtown Orlando were vandalized over the weekend.
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Hateful messages and symbols covered the images of unity and pride from the LGBT+ Center Orlando and Zebra Youth in the Mills District.
The LGBT+ Center Orlando posted a statement on their Facebook page, which reads in part:
“It’s not the first time it has happened and even though (it) is frustrating, we are not going to stop being a beacon of light for our community.”
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Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer also spoke out about the incident on social media and emphasized Orlando’s commitment to being inclusive.
“Hate has no place in our city,” he said.
Over the weekend someone painted derogatory remarks on murals outside of our local LGBTQ+ Center & Zebra Coalition buildings. Today our community along with memebrs from GOALCFL teamed up to erase the hate; fixing the murals, standing up against this hate we will no tolerate! 🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/goYE25rxya
— Gay Officers Action League CFL, Inc. (@GOALcfl) August 27, 2023
Sergeant Amanda White and Officer Danielle Torres, the Orlando Police Department’s LGBTQ+ Liaisons, helped clean the walls over the weekend.
They joined the community in painting over the rhetoric.
The department said detectives are investigating the vandalism.
If anyone has any information about the incident, call Orlando Police at 911 or make an anonymous call with Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.
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