One adult and two minors charged with a felony A man riding a scooter across an LGBTQ+ crosswalk in Spokane, Washington prompted a scooter rental company to declare the area off limits to protect a mural.
Spokane police said they responded to a report of the mural being vandalized and witnessed some of the damage firsthand.
“It is disturbing to see the hate happening in Spokane… We will not let a hateful few ruin the joy of Pride Month.”
Police arrested three people, including two minors, and charged them with first-degree aggravated vandalism, a Class B felony.
When other residents confronted the boys during the incident, the boys responded with abusive language, according to the complaint.
Researcher Said The Pride mural sustained “extensive damage,” including “black scuff marks consistent with a scooter wheel.” Photos attached to the police report showed approximately 14 black skid marks.
Lime, a company that rents scooters to pedestrians, said it had created a “no-go zone” above the mural so that if someone tries to ride a scooter into the LGBTQ+ crosswalk, the scooter will stop working. When a scooter enters the no-go zone, it will slowly come to a stop until a rider pushes it out of the zone.
Hayden Harvey, Lime’s director of government relations, said in a statement to The National Desk that the company strongly condemns the “vile” act of hate perpetrated through the wheels of its scooters.
“Everyone at Lime unequivocally condemns these despicable actions,” Harvey said.
“It’s disturbing to see hate happening in Spokane at a time when Lime teams are beginning to celebrate Pride around the world,” he added. “We won’t let a hateful few ruin the joy of Pride Month in Spokane, and we’re grateful to those working to make Spokane a more welcoming place for all.”
The adult has been identified as 19-year-old Ruslan V. V. Turko, while the two minors are not being identified because of their age.
Spokane Pride announced that a fundraiser has raised enough money to repair the dark scars of hatred left on the mural.
Police also said the mural’s surface was recently repainted to address previous damage after someone set fire to the crosswalk in May.
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