Ames, Iowa, rejects federal request to remove rainbow crosswalks highlighting diversity
A city in central Iowa has refused a federal request to remove its rainbow-colored crosswalks at a downtown intersection meant to represent diversity and inclusiveness. The Federal Highway Administration sent a letter dated Sept. 5 asking Ames City Manager Steve Schainker to get rid of the city’s rainbow crosswalks because they violated federal traffic control regulations, CNN reports. Crosswalks are only permitted to be painted in white, according to federal rules.
Two crosswalks in Ames use the colors in the inclusive LGBT Pride flag, which adds brown and black to the 1970s rainbow design. A third crosswalk features purple, black, yellow and white — the gender nonbinary flag’s colors — while a fourth uses the colors of the transgender pride flag: blue, white and pink.
In response, City Attorney Mark Lambert sent a memo to the Ames mayor and its city council saying the Federal Highway Administration doesn’t have jurisdiction over the area where the crosswalks sit. As a result, he wrote, the state should get to decide what colors the crosswalks are ... "With the system of federalism in the United States, the federal government does not have jurisdiction over everything," Lambert wrote.
Ultimately, the Ames City Council decided last Tuesday that they wouldn’t listen to the Federal Highway Administration’s request. One council member, Chris Nelson, said at the meeting, “Do we need to do anything? Can we just accept the letter and say thank you?”
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/463849-iowa-city-rejects-federal-request-to-remove-rainbow-crosswalks
= new reply since forum marked as read
The OP originally said "Iowa City rejects..."
You came along 3 hours later after the OP was already changed. The grammar lesson was unnecessary as my post was about location and not grammar.
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The Ames City Attorney, Mark Lambert, is a interesting guy. He posted on facebook that he's going to explain what his office does to a group of new employees by rapping. Knowing Mark, that's exactly what he'll do.
