Story highlights Crosswalk is a show of support for LGBTQ community

Group that created the crosswalk call incident vandalism, filed police report

(CNN) A rainbow crosswalk was splattered with white paint shortly after it was installed in Tucson, Arizona, but residents say they are not letting the incident rain on their parade.

Residents found the colorful sidewalk and areas around it damaged early Tuesday morning. A 20-ounce cup that contained paint was also found near the splatter, said Mike Graham, spokesman for the city's transportation department.

The crosswalk was a collaboration between the city of Tucson, the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation and the Fourth Avenue Merchants Association. It features rainbow stripes painted within the crosswalk's boundaries.

The crosswalk is not only a public show of support for the city's LGBTQ residents, it is also a "blatant symbol of diversity" that represents the "culture of the community," said Fred Ronstadt, executive director of the Fourth Avenue Merchants Association.

Ronstadt said members of the association are treating the incident as vandalism and have filed a report with the Tucson Police Department. But though the crosswalk is a gesture of support for the LGBTQ community, Ronstadt said he is not sure if the act was an act of hate.

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