Orlando mayor says rainbow crosswalk will be installed near Pulse; temporary memorial approved

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer says a rainbow crosswalk will be installed near the gay nightclub Pulse on West Esther Street.

In July, a petition circulated online asking the city of Orlando to paint a rainbow crosswalk near Pulse on Orange Avenue and Kaley Street to honor the 49 victims who died in the shooting massacre at Pulse on June 12, 2016 and recognize the struggle of survivors. The online request ended up garnering 2,779 signatures.

Dyer says the rainbow crosswalk will be painted for pedestrians on the street going from the Dunkin' Donuts to Pulse, which are about 200 feet apart. It wasn't immediately clear, though, if the crosswalk would go horizontal for a few feet or extend vertically at all. Orlando Weekly reached out to a city spokesperson but did not receive an immediate response. At an Orlando City Council meeting on Monday, Dyer said there were jurisdictional issues with Orange Avenue and Kaley Street, which is why Esther Street was chosen.

"We feel like Esther is a more appropriate place anyway so we don't have people that are out in traffic trying to take pictures while walking on the rainbow crosswalk," Dyer says. "On Esther, there won't be as much traffic and it will be a much better place if people are going to take pictures."

Read more: https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2017/10/09/orlando-mayor-says-rainbow-crosswalk-will-be-installed-near-pulse


The Orlando City Council approved plans for a temporary memorial at the gay nightclub Pulse Monday afternoon.

Pulse owner Barbara Poma and the onePULSE Foundation submitted plans for an interim memorial as they create a permanent memorial in conjunction with survivors of the mass shooting and families of the 49 victims who died last year. At Monday's council meeting, Poma said part of the reason for creating a temporary memorial at 1912 S. Orange Ave. would be to "clean up the site, make it look less like a crime scene and more like a place where you could come and pay your respects."

There will be several key changes to the current Pulse site. The first is removing the fence installed by the FBI and replacing it with an eight-foot fence that will go completely around the building. Poma says the current renderings show the fence as white, though it will have artistic tribute murals or photos.

As you can see from the design above, part of the fence is clear near the door. Poma says there will framed views to a couple areas on the Pulse building, including the place where police broke down bathroom walls to rescue survivors.

Read more: https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2017/10/09/orlando-commissioners-approve-temporary-memorial-at-pulse-nightclub