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houston Residents have protested as construction crews removed two rainbow crosswalks from an intersection in a Montrose neighborhood.
According to the local CBS affiliate, crews began removal work around 2:30 a.m. local time on Monday and by sunrise the bright colors had been replaced with fresh asphalt. lose 11,
Dozens of protesters gathered near the intersection Monday morning, KHOU 11 reports. Many people were taken to the footpath as barricades were put up to prevent them from entering the road fox 26 houston,
Houston police said Independent Four people were arrested for blocking the road. Officials said charges are pending against him but would not say what the charges are.
Rainbow crosswalk removal comes after governor greg abbott directed by texas The Department of Transportation earlier this month asked counties and cities to ensure they “remove any and all political ideologies from our roads.”
“To keep Texans traveling safely and free from distractions, we must maintain a safe and consistent transportation network across Texas,” Abbott said in an Oct. 8 letter. Press release,
They threatened to withhold or deny state and federal road funds if cities did not comply.
Protester Ethan Hale explained the importance of the rainbow crosswalk.
“This is a memorial to the person who was killed in a hit-and-run,” he told KHOU 11. “It’s more than just the LGBT community.”
Other protesters argued that removing the crosswalk was merely a distraction and a waste of “time and money.”
“We know we have the worst air quality here, people are disappearing in the bay, we have urgent matters that need our attention and we’re wasting time trying to distract and demean lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans people,” Andy Escobar told KHOU 11.
“This is just a distraction. We’re wasting time and money,” Brenda Franco told the outlet, holding a transgender rights sign.
Houston isn’t the first city whose rainbow crosswalks have gone missing. In August, Rainbow Crosswalk in honor of the 49 victims The fatal 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting Was Removed from Orlando Street,
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis “We will not allow the streets of our state to be taken over for political purposes,” one X said. Post In those days.
In July, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote in a letter urging governors to support a national safe roads initiative to help “eliminate distractions” on the roads.
Duffy said traffic deaths in 2024 are expected to decline by 3.8 percent from last year, but added, “We still have more work to do.”
Although Duffy’s letter did not explicitly say that the initiative included removing the rainbow crosswalk, he said as much in a follow-up Post,
“Taxpayers expect their dollars to finance safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks,” the secretary said. “Political banners have no place on public roads. I’m reminding recipients of @USDOT roadway funding that it is limited to facilities that advance safety, nothing else. It’s that simple.”