Pickup Driver Does Burnout Over Pride Crosswalk in West Virginia

The driver of a pickup truck damaged a PRIDE-themed crosswalk in Huntington, West Virginia, by doing a tire burnout over its rainbow-colored lines.

Video of the incident was captured and posted on June 12 by Luke Cassidy, who described it as “shameful.”

“Not even a week old and the hate crimes have begun,” Cassidy wrote in a video post on Facebook.

The mural was completed just days earlier by the Huntington Pride community group with the backing of Mayor Steve Williams, the city government, Huntington Police Department, and other public agencies.

Volunteers painted four crosswalk murals on each side of the intersection at 4th Avenue and 10th Street, and a large rainbow-colored gemstone in the middle.

Huntington Pride responded to the incident in a Facebook post, saying: “After we poured our hearts (and paint) into creating the beautiful, inclusive crosswalk to celebrate diversity, some of you just couldn’t resist the urge to show your true colors.”

According to local media, police said they were aware of the video and investigating the incident, while the City said it would “coordinate with Huntington Pride on any needed touch-ups of the art installation.” Credit: Luke Cassidy via Storyful