HOUSTON – Early Monday morning, the rainbow crosswalk in Montrose was removed despite protesters showing up as early as 2:30 a.m. in an attempt to stop the removal process.
All four crosswalks, previously an array of colors, are now gone at the intersection of Westheimer and Taft. The rainbow crosswalk was first installed in 2017.Â
Protesters of rainbow crosswalk removal arrested
What we know:
Construction crews arrived at the scene around 2:30 a.m. to begin work on covering the rainbow crosswalks, but multiple people were already waiting to hold them off.
They voiced their opposition to Governor Greg Abbott’s recent order directing the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and cities across the state to remove signs and symbols with what he called “political ideologies/agendas.”
Protest at rainbow crosswalk (Courtesy of OnScene TV Houston)
Houston Police Department officers showed up to the scene where things looked to remain peaceful.
At some point, several protesters were moved to the sidewalks as barricades were put in place to stop them from going back onto the roadway. A few protesters remained on the crosswalk.
Eventually, HPD officers placed the few remaining in handcuffs one-by-one, and they were arrested.
What we don’t know:
We don’t know what the protesters have been charged with.
Governor’s funding threat
The backstory:
Governor Abbott issued that statewide order to remove any markings considered political. He also warned that local governments refusing to comply could face consequences, including cuts to state or federal road funding and the suspension of TxDOT agreements.
Last week, Houston Mayor John Whitmire and city council members commented on what the governor is threatening to do.
“I think we have to stay away from public property because it will jeopardize the department’s funding, because they will come after it, the health department, criminal justice. You can do away with the stripes, but you are not going to do away with the issue or the people that are valuable citizens of Houston.”
The Source: Â FOX 26 reporter Jade Flury was at the scene and OnScene TV captured video.