Brookings Paints Rainbow Crosswalk for Pride Event

Pat Powers finally did some progressive good. His local tax dollars are paying for a rainbow crosswalk installed at 5th Avenue and 5th Street by the City of Brookings to celebrate inclusion and diversity:

“The rainbow crosswalk is a collaborative effort between the City of Brookings Public Arts Commission and Human Rights Commission. The crosswalk signifies the City’s commitment to diversity and inclusion as well as highlights our Municipal Equality Index (MEI) score of 100,” said Jake Meshke, assistant to the city manager in Brookings.

…“The idea for the crosswalk came up in a conversation between myself, Meagan Irvine-Miller, the co-chair of the Human Rights Commission, and Paul (Briseno, Brookings city manager) when we were talking about ways to recognize and continue showing support for the 100 MEI score Brookings received,” said Hanna Holmquist, co-chair of the Human Rights Commission. She and Irvine-Miller brought the idea to the Human Rights Commission and the city, to find out if it was possible to do the crosswalk [link added; Jodelle Greiner, “Over the Rainbow,” Brookings Register, 2019.06.06].

Folks can use that crosswalk to get to the Old Market Eatery for Brookings Pride Night, which happens downtown on Friday, June 14.