<\/p>\n
Whitney Kral walks her dogs across Morrow Street on a rainbow crosswalk in the Crestview neighborhood of Austin on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. The crosswalk was repainted over the weekend by a group of neighbors using what one resident described as chalk-based, nonpermanent paint after the city removed several decorated crosswalks last week citing pressure from the federal government. Some neighbors also added rainbow paint to their driveways and walkways, and an area church displayed a sign supporting the crosswalks.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Residents in North Austin’s Crestview neighborhood are pushing back after a symbol they say represents inclusion was erased without warning last week<\/a>.<\/p>\n On Feb. 18, the city of Austin painted over a rainbow crosswalk in the neighborhood, citing a federal directive to remove nonstandard road markings. By the next morning, the community group chat began to light up before the sun even rose as neighbors began orchestrating a protest.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A Pride flag is displayed next to a rainbow crosswalk on Morrow Street in the Crestview neighborhood of Austin on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. The crosswalk was repainted over the weekend by a group of neighbors using what one resident described as chalk-based, nonpermanent paint after the city removed several decorated crosswalks last week citing pressure from the federal government. Some neighbors also added rainbow paint to their driveways and walkways, and an area church displayed a sign supporting the crosswalks.<\/p>\n Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n \u201cThey started texting at like 6:30 in the morning: \u2018Hey, did you notice? Hey, did you notice?\u2019\u201d said Whitney Kral, who lives nearby.<\/p>\n The rainbow crosswalk at Morrow and Watson streets, which seemingly sprung up overnight in 2024, disappeared just as quickly and without warning.<\/p>\n Kral had walked her dogs past the intersection just the night before. But, when she went by again the next day, \u201csure enough, it was painted over.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? I just walked it. How is that possible?\u201d she wondered.\u00a0<\/p>\n The city made public in a memo Thursday its decision to restore the road markings to standard black-and-white stripes, citing a federal directive to remove the colorful paint as pressure mounts over \u201cpolitical\u201d road markings.<\/p>\n A house displays a rainbow-painted walkway beside a rainbow crosswalk on Morrow Street in the Crestview neighborhood of Austin on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. The crosswalk was repainted over the weekend by a group of neighbors using what one resident described as chalk-based, nonpermanent paint after the city removed several decorated crosswalks last week citing pressure from the federal government. Some neighbors also added rainbow paint to their driveways and walkways, and an area church displayed a sign supporting the crosswalks.<\/p>\n Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n The Crestview crosswalk was one of three \u201caesthetically treated\u201d intersections the city removed. Another at Manor Road and Leona Street in East Austin featured a rainbow pattern, and a third at Pedernales Street and Webberville Road in East Austin was painted to resemble bricks.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The move comes amid pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Department of Transportation to eliminate what state leaders have called \u201cpolitical ideologies\u201d from public roadways<\/a>. In October, Abbott directed cities to remove such markings or risk losing state funding, and TxDOT gave cities and counties until early November to comply.<\/p>\n Austin transportation director Richard Mendoza wrote in the memo that the Federal Highway Administration “provided notification of the termination of the experiment, which included direction to restore the sites to their previous conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n Austin is still waiting to hear from TxDOT whether it can keep 12 other pieces of street art, including rainbow crosswalks that remain downtown.<\/p>\n The move didn\u2019t sit well with neighbors, and by Sunday evening, the intersection and surrounding driveways were even more colorful than before.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The crosswalk\u2019s removal sparked indignation in Celeste Padilla, who lives nearby. She convinced several nearby homeowners to allow her to paint rainbow stripes on their driveways, and she recruited a group of neighbors to help. Another group used washable, chalk-based paint to restripe the crosswalk in its original colors.<\/p>\n The pastor of nearby Violet Crown<\/a> City Church even painted the giant\u00a0Adirondack chair<\/a> that sits out front and often displays justice-focused messages; it now reads, \u201cCrestview (hearts) crosswalks.\u201d<\/p>\n Padilla wasn\u2019t initially sure if she wanted to do anything about the crosswalk, and she certainly didn\u2019t plan to lead the charge\u00a0\u2014 \u201cI just happened to have all the paint,\u201d she said. \u201cBut my faith is what calls me to work for justice for any group that is erased, or oppressed, or not treated the way they need to be treated.<\/p>\n \u201cA rainbow crosswalk in Crestview signifies that we are a welcoming community, that it doesn\u2019t matter how you vote, if you\u2019re Black or white, if you\u2019re gay or straight, or who you pray to. It just is about being kind and being welcoming,\u201d said Padilla, a Unitarian Universalist.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n An oversized rainbow-painted chair with a sign reading \u201cCrestview Loves Crosswalks\u201d sits in the yard of Violet Crown City Church near a rainbow crosswalk on Morrow Street in the Crestview neighborhood of Austin on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. The crosswalk was repainted over the weekend by a group of neighbors using what one resident described as chalk-based, nonpermanent paint after the city removed several decorated crosswalks last week citing pressure from the federal government. Some neighbors also added rainbow paint to their driveways and walkways.<\/p>\n Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n