Midtown Atlanta rainbow crosswalks vandalized by skid marks
ATLANTA - Midtown Atlanta residents woke up on Monday to find an iconic Atlanta landmark apparently vandalized.
Parts of Atlanta's rainbow crosswalks, at the intersection of Piedmont Avenue and 10th Street, were covered in what appear to be skid marks.
The Atlanta Police Department said a few people called 911 at around midnight to report "street racing."
Police said officers haven't issued citations or made any arrests.
SKYFOX 5 flew over the scene on Monday morning and saw what looked like spirals of skid marks in the center of the intersection. Some overlapped with the rainbow crosswalk.
When were Atlanta's rainbow crosswalks painted?
The crosswalk was introduced as symbol of unity during Atlanta Pride Week in 2015.
Then-Mayor Kasim Reed decided to make the crosswalks a permanent fixture to the area in 2017.
Artist Robert Sepulveda Jr. spent more than a year planning the crosswalks.
How is Georgia combating street racing?
Lawmakers passed a bill in 2021 pushed by Gov. Brian Kemp to crack down on street racing.
The governor is gearing up for a reelection run in 2022 and has touted efforts to fight crime in Atlanta, saying it has a "serious crime problem."
In May 2021, Kemp granted $5 million to the Georgia Department of Public Safety to fight street racing.