Orlando Pulse Memorial Temporarily Closed Due to Suspicious Package Investigation by Police

ORLANDO, Fla. – On Monday, law enforcement officers had to secure the area around the Pulse memorial in Orlando because an unidentified package was discovered on the premises.

News 6’s Orange County community correspondent Mike Valente was covering the story of activists who were resuming work on the crosswalk adjacent to the site of the 2016 mass shooting when he spotted the package.

It’s a box that was addressed to the site that appears to be from Walmart.

Activists didn’t know where the box came from and called the police non-emergency line.

Officers set up a perimeter around the Pulse site while they investigate. Stay with News 6 for updates.

This marks the latest occurrence in an ongoing protest that began after state transportation employees erased the rainbow crosswalk. This action was part of a larger effort by the U.S. Department of Transportation to curb crosswalk art across Florida and the nation.

[WATCH: Rainbow crosswalk near Pulse removed overnight]

Since that time, locals have repeatedly used chalk to color the sidewalk in defiance of state authorities, and state workers have repainted the crosswalk at least three times now.

One man we spoke to, who would not give his name, said he was committed to showing up every day if necessary.

“Though I’m not part of the gay community or the Puerto Rican community, I’m a member of the Orlando community, and I want to help show unity and support,” he expressed.

Officers, including those from the Florida Highway Patrol and the Orlando Police Department, have been stationed at the crosswalk in an effort to discourage the activists.

[WATCH: Rainbow crosswalk repainted outside Pulse; Florida troopers seen standing by]

“People are upset and they’re saying, ‘Enough is enough,’” said protester James Houchins. “Not only is it a crosswalk, but it’s part of the memorial.”

The Florida Department of Transportation approved the rainbow crosswalk across Esther Street in 2017, in honor of the 49 people who lost their lives in the attack, and the hundreds who came to the site to pay their respects in the weeks and months after.

But earlier this year, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a directive that all crosswalk art across the country be painted over, calling it a safety hazard.