SALISBURY, Md. – A long-standing piece of art in the heart of Salisbury may seize to exist in the next coming months.
The rainbow crosswalk was painted onto the streets of Downtown Salisbury by PFLAG back in 2018, at the request of then mayor, Jake Day.
Fast forward some years and Mayor Randy Taylor takes office. Looking to potentially get rid of the crosswalk, Mayor Taylor said in a statement: “The mayors office along with ABCD (events group) met with the Public Art committee and had a great discussion this week. I am a fan of public art but my view is it should be inclusive, hopefully reflective of our history, be inspiring, uplifting and avoid singular political issues. I have spoken to dozens of friends and residents from all over the art and political spectrum -and finding balance in that approach is still evolving. I am hopeful that the coming meetings will be fruitful in that process !”
PFLAG executive director, Mark DeLancey, said the decision caught him by surprise.
“Even through COVID, we wound up painting that crosswalk every year, at the cost of no taxpayer, no city dollars, it was all done through fundraising and sponsoring for the event itself,” DeLancey said. “We have been maintaining, in good faith, that crosswalk, every year.”
But PFlAG isn’t going down without a fight. DeLancey said if Mayor Taylor follows through with his decision, the organization will take the legal route to counter it.
“We’re looking into state and federal regulations and lawyers and if we have to bring in big guns to look this over, they’ll look this over,” DeLancey said.
With a firm message to the mayor, DeLancey said advocating for this is crucial, because it’s bigger than just a cross walk, it’s about preserving LGBTQ rights.
“I want him to realize, and I want everyone to realize, that we are stronger than that. We will make sure that we prevail through this legally, and we will make sure that we stand tall with pride and make sure that we have our crosswalk,” DeLancey said.
