91-year-old man investigated for vandalizing New Westminster rainbow crosswalk
New Westminster Police are investigating a 91-year-old man who allegedly vandalized a brand new LGBTQ pride rainbow crosswalk in the city’s downtown area.
The multi-coloured crosswalk at the intersection of Columbia and Church streets was installed by city crews over the weekend. However, sometime on Monday, a senior was seen pouring white paint onto the new crosswalk.
Witnesses who saw the man’s actions reported the incident to police, who arrived to the scene promptly and located him nearby. He was taken to hospital for a psychological evaluation and could face a charge for mischief. The elderly man’s intentions for vandalizing the crosswalk are not known at this time.
On Monday evening, city crews were seen washing away the paint and repairing any damage that had been done.
In an earlier interview, New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote said the rainbow crosswalk symbolized his community’s growing diversity, particularly as the only other suburban municipality in Metro Vancouver to host its own annual LGBTQ pride festivities.
“I think there’s a growing recognition that New Westminster is becoming more and more diverse of a community and we wanted to make sure we were recognizing that and celebrating that,” Cote told Vancity Buzz.
Clean-up on progress. pic.twitter.com/sZAnwJZZxn
— Patrick Johnstone (@PJNewWest) July 28, 2015
A heartfelt thank you to the crew who washed away the white paint from our new rainbow crosswalk. #NewWest #policingwithpride
— New West Police (@NewWestPD) July 28, 2015
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