'We filter coffee, not people': Gibsons rallies after rainbow crosswalks defaced
3 crosswalks were recently painted rainbow to recognize the LGBTQ community
The people of Gibsons are rallying after three rainbow crosswalks were covered in white paint overnight.
Martin DesRosiers, the owner of Beachcomber Coffee in Gibsons, said an employee of the coffee shop noticed the paint job early Saturday morning and snapped a photo.
The three crosswalks were recently painted rainbow by the town of Gibsons, to recognize the LGBTQ community.
"She posted it on our work group chat and our reaction was horrified, disgusted," he said.
The photo was then posted on the Beachcomber Coffee Facebook page, with a short message that read in part: "Gibsons is an inclusive/welcoming community so we're embarrassed to see this today."
The post quickly began to spread, and in the comment section of the post, residents made plans to gather in the afternoon for an impromptu dance in the streets, and to paint the crosswalks rainbow again.
DesRosiers said he chose to post the photo to make the community aware of what had happened, but didn't anticipate it would garner so much attention.
"It's a small community and Beachcomber's itself is known for being accepting of all shapes and sizes. Our shop specifically, we don't discriminate. We filter coffee, we don't filter people," he said.
"I'm proud to see the community kind of rallying."