Less than a week after local officials publicly denounced Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to remove Houston’s rainbow crosswalk, police officers arrested three protesters early Monday morning who refused to move as work crews paved over the intersection.
The clash came around 2:00 a.m. Monday at Westheimer and Taft, where city contractors and METRO police officers arrived to grind down the rainbow-painted crosswalk in Montrose. Protesters sat across the intersection, blocking the machinery until the Houston Police Department’s Special Response Group was called to clear the roadway. Officers issued several warnings before making arrests.
Among those taken into custody was Ethan Hale, a Houston City Council candidate and activist involved in the effort to recall Mayor John Whitmire. Two others were also arrested after refusing to leave. By 5:00 a.m., the crews were finally able to begin the repainting project.
The arrests followed a weekend of protests at the intersection in opposition to METRO’s plan to comply with Abbott’s order. The governor announced earlier this month that cities displaying “social, political, or ideological messages” on public streets could lose state transportation funding. METRO said agencies had 30 days to meet state and federal roadway marking standards.
Demonstrators described the rainbow-painted crosswalk, first installed in 2017, as both a symbol of LGBT “pride” and a memorial to Alex Hill, a 21-year-old killed at the intersection in a 2016 hit-and-run. “Our identity is not political—it’s who we are,” said Kevin Strickland, president of Walk and Roll Houston and one of Sunday’s organizers. “Removing some paint doesn’t erase who we are.”
City officials and Democrat leaders held a press conference last Tuesday at the same intersection, calling Abbott’s directive an overreach. Councilmember Abbie Kamin said the governor had “apparently entered the portion of the program where the state of Texas is now worried about paint,” adding that his action was “hateful” and “bigoted.”
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee and Commissioner Rodney Ellis both said they were reviewing potential legal challenges.
Mayor John Whitmire has taken a quieter approach. He told council members last week that future LGBT displays may have to be placed on private property to avoid risking city funds.
Crews in Galveston have also confirmed they’ll be removing two rainbow crosswalks to comply with Abbott’s order.
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