Overview
- Construction crews began tearing out the rainbow crosswalks at Westheimer and Taft around 2:30 a.m. Monday and finished by sunrise, as Houston police arrested four people for blocking the roadway.
- METRO proceeded with the removal after Gov. Greg Abbott warned cities and counties could lose state and federal road funding over street markings he labeled political or ideological.
- The enforcement aligns with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Roads initiative, which urges the elimination of roadway features officials consider distracting.
- The Montrose crosswalks were repainted on Oct. 1 after earlier construction, and they were first installed in 2017 as a memorial to 21-year-old Alex Hill, drawing protests from more than 200 people on Sunday.
- Houston leaders criticized the takedown as community members chalked a rainbow in the Heights, and attention has turned to other tributes that may face review, including the Black Lives Matter and George Floyd markings in the Third Ward.