JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A new splash of color was revealed this morning in Jacksonville’s historic 5 Points neighborhood.
A 1,700-square-foot mural off Park and Lomax streets celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and its history after state requirements compelled the removal of rainbow-colored crosswalks last year.
The 5 Points crosswalks were among several colorful crosswalks painted over to comply with Florida Department of Transportation directives last year.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy emphasized at the time that intersections and crosswalks needed to be “free from distractions,” including political messages, artwork or anything else that could distract drivers and pedestrians.
At the time, lawmakers suggested that murals would be a better use of colorful celebrations of the LGBTQ+ community.
And a year later, that’s what we have now in 5 Points, thanks to the Riverside Avondale Preservation group and artist Shaun Thurston.
“I wanted to have a lot of people across the diverse spectrum of humanity represented so that other people could see themselves in the mural and in the rainbow, which is what it represents,” Thurston said. “What we’re standing in front of is the end result of that thought process, which started over a year ago and just got more refined over time.”
Thurston began painting the mural in July.
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