Suspicious package at turns out to be box of chalk

By Matt Leonard

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    ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — Roads around the Pulse nightclub memorial have reopened after a package was delivered to the site Monday afternoon.

The Orlando Police Department had closed off several roads around the memorial shortly before 6 p.m. to assess the package. Orlando Fire Department bomb squad crews checked the package around 6:45 p.m. and the scene was cleared shortly afterwards.

Roads had reopened before 7 p.m.

The package was dropped off outside the memorial and has Walmart branding on it. Inside the package was a box of sidewalk chalk.

The Orlando Fire Department said there was “no hazard” when asked about the incident.

The north-south crosswalk on West Esther Street, which had previously been painted in rainbow colors in honor of the 49 people killed in June 2016 at the nightclub, has been the site of a back-and-forth between FDOT and demonstrators after the rainbow coloring was removed last week.

“It was kind of a gridlock on the way home,” said David Baldre, who lives nearby.

Pulse demonstrators said they had just finished chalking a crosswalk when they noticed the package. Unsure of its contents, they called the non-emergency line.

“As you can see they responded in an emergency kind of way,” said demonstrator Adam Beaton.

The box was eventually opened by the bomb squad, revealing 120 pieces of chalk. Demonstrators say they’re grateful the situation wasn’t more serious.

“It certainly affects a good bit of the city,” Baldre said of the disruption.

Organizers thanked the anonymous contributor but asked supporters not to send packages directly to the Pulse site.

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