Less than two days after it was installed, a vandal has already defaced the new Two-Spirit Rainbow Crosswalk in Penticton.

The crosswalk, located next to the Queen鈥檚 Park Elementary School and installed on Wednesday, May 24, was quickly the subject of hateful remarks from a vocal minority of the public.

By Friday morning, a dark streak from a vehicle鈥檚 tire marred the crosswalk, which the City of Penticton confirmed by email was an act of vandalism.

A statement from leaders of the community including the acting mayor and chief of the Penticton Indian Band was issued the same day it was installed condemning the hateful comments being shared about the crosswalk.

鈥淔or the rainbow crosswalk to be a true symbol there needs to be the condemnation of bullying and intolerance,鈥� that statement read. 鈥淭he installation of this symbol is not the end, it is the beginning.

鈥淎s elected leaders, we stand for a community that is diverse, open and accepting. There鈥檚 no place for hate.鈥�

The Penticton Western 亚洲天堂 was also forced to shut down commentary on its social media post about the crosswalk.

A timeline for when the crosswalk will be cleaned or repaired was not yet available.

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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