Baltimore Ave Crosswalk Leads To Court :: (Scroll to 👇.pdf)

By Julian Pembroke Thistle  |  Senior Culture Critic, Makes a Great Mimosa

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. — An Annapolis man has filed a lawsuit against the City of Rehoboth Beach, claiming the city’s rainbow-colored crosswalks caused him to become disoriented and confused, ultimately leading his wife to discover him having cocktails with another man at the Blue Moon.

Wes Townsend, 48, a married father of two and regional salesman, says he was in Rehoboth in June for an annual two-week business trip when he crossed one of the city’s rainbow crosswalks near Baltimore Avenue.

Townsend says that is the last thing he remembers clearly.

“I was walking to a sales meeting,” Townsend said. “I remember stepping into the crosswalk, seeing all those colors, and then everything gets fuzzy.”

Townsend’s wife, Susan, who remained home in Annapolis, decided to surprise her husband during his trip and drove to Rehoboth without telling him.

After being unable to locate him at his hotel, she eventually found Townsend at the Blue Moon, where he was having cocktails with a male companion and several other couples.

According to witnesses, Townsend appeared stunned when he saw his wife.  “Susan?” he reportedly said. “Oh my God. Where am I?”

Townsend then briefly fainted.

After regaining consciousness, Townsend told his wife he had no idea how he had gotten there and initially believed he had entered a sports bar while looking for a football game.  His wife reportedly informed him that it was June.

"Preseason?" he asked.

Townsend then explained that the last thing he remembered was crossing Baltimore Avenue on his way to a sales meeting.

According to Townsend, several men apparently noticed his confusion and escorted him into the Blue Moon, where they gave him something to drink while attempting to help locate his wife.

“They were incredibly nice,” Townsend said. “Obviously they could tell I was disoriented. They were just trying to keep me hydrated until we could figure out what happened.”  

Townsend insists he had never met the men before. That claim became more complicated several days later when his wife discovered photographs showing Townsend with one of the men, identified only as Trevor, during previous trips to Rehoboth Beach.

One photograph was dated June 2023.
When shown the photograph by a Boardwalk Barker reporter, Townsend stared at it silently for several seconds.

“Oh my God,” he finally said.  Townsend examined the photograph more closely.  “This goes back further than I thought.”

The revelations did not end there.

Susan later produced a photograph she says was taken in 2015 showing Townsend inside Woody’s, a well-known gay bar in Philadelphia’s Gayborhood.  Townsend appeared visibly shaken when shown the photograph.

“Jesus Christ,” he said. “That was the regional Republican conference.”  

Townsend said he remembered leaving the conference that evening but little else.  “There’s one of those rainbow crosswalks at 13th and Locust,” he said. “I remember walking across it. Next thing I know, I wake up in my hotel.”

Townsend stared at the photograph again.
“My God,” he said. “How many cities have these things?”

Townsend now believes he may have unknowingly suffered similar episodes during previous visits to Rehoboth.  Records provided by his wife indicate Townsend has made an annual two-week business trip to Rehoboth Beach every June for at least eight years.

“That's the frightening part,” Townsend said.  “How many times did I cross that?!"

Townsend said he is grateful his wife arrived when she did.  “Thank God Susan showed up,” he said. “Who knows where this could have ended?”

The lawsuit alleges that the colors and geometric patterns used in Rehoboth Beach’s rainbow crosswalks can cause “temporary cognitive impairment, directional confusion, altered judgment and involuntary changes in social behavior,” and that city officials failed to adequately warn pedestrians of those risks.

Townsend said above all, he hopes his story will inspire others with similar stories to come forward and speak up.

Townsend is seeking $2.5 million in compensatory damages, citing emotional distress, damage to his marriage, lost wages and the cost of ongoing counseling. The lawsuit also asks the city to install warning signs near the crosswalks alerting pedestrians.

City officials expressed surprise at the lawsuit.

“We were shocked when this came across our desk,” a member of the city attorney's office said. “Especially from Wes. He's had a little condo here in town for years. We always thought he was more civic-minded than this.”

"You mean Wes? Like, Trevor and Wes, Wes?" Interjected a surprised coworker.

When informed that Townsend's wife was apparently unaware her husband owned property in Rehoboth Beach, the attorney paused.  “Oh,” he said. "You probably shouldn't use that.”

The Blue Moon also declined to comment, although an employee who answered the telephone reportedly asked, “Wait, Wes is married?”

Townsend’s employer confirmed that he works in regional sales but declined to identify what business requires Townsend to spend two consecutive weeks in Rehoboth Beach every June.

Asked why he continued scheduling the same trip year after year despite what he now believes were repeated episodes of crosswalk-induced disorientation, Townsend conferred briefly with his attorney.

He then declined to comment on the advice of counsel.

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