Patrick Williams
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Crews in Dallas began removing decorative crosswalks to comply with an order from Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Among the first crosswalks affected were the rainbow Pride designs located in the city’s more prominent LGBTQ neighborhood.
Hours later a man was arrested and charged with misdemeanor graffiti after attempting to re-paint a crosswalk near Cedar Springs Road and Knight Street. According to Fox 4, who caught the attempted re-painting on video, police found the man around 3:30 a.m. with a bag of paint and chalk and had already outlined the crosswalk that had its rainbow design removed earlier. As of Tuesday afternoon, the suspect remains in custody and the police have not released the man’s name.
Alexandre’s, a restaurant and bar on Cedar Springs Road, said on Facebook on Tuesday “If anyone has information about the arrest this morning, please DM, we’ll cover bail and legal expenses.”
In October, following Abbott’s order, Dallas leaders sought clarification before deciding to move forward with the decorative crosswalk removal. According to Abbott, crosswalks with “political messages” were dangerous and out of line with state law. The governor backed up his directive with a threat.
“Texans expect their taxpayer dollars to be used wisely, not advance political agendas on Texas roadways,” Abbott said in an October statement. “Any city that refuses to comply with the federal road standards will face consequences, including the withholding or denial of state and federal road funding and suspension of agreements with TxDOT.”
There are reportedly around 30 decorative crosswalks in Dallas, including designs with Black Lives Matter themes in South Dallas. On Tuesday afternoon, around 1:45 p.m., crews were seen removing BLM-themed crosswalks on Lipscomb Avenue, though some of the red-and-black-painted crosswalks remained.
Patrick Williams
The removal project is expected to last until near the end of April. As is the case with the BLM crosswalks, not all of the rainbow designs have been removed as of Tuesday afternoon, with at least one smack dab in the middle of road construction at the intersection of Oak Lawn Avenue and Cedar Springs Road near the Melrose Hotel still visible.
Oak Lawn United Methodist Church is perhaps the most visible example of how local groups are fighting back against the rainbow removal. Days after Abbott’s order, the church painted the steps to its front entrance with a rainbow pattern. Other local groups plan on having their voices heard too, regardless of what the city and state do to the crosswalks.
“To the state officials who made this decision: you may remove our colors, but you cannot remove our Pride. You cannot sanitize our history or dim our light,” reads a statement from the Cedar Springs Merchant Association. “This attempt to silence our visibility only amplifies our voice.”
