SAN ANTONIO – Crews were seen Monday morning beginning the process of removing rainbow crosswalks from San Antonio’s Pride Cultural Heritage District, after months of back-and-forth between city and state leaders.
While the city will remove the crosswalks, it is already working to add rainbow treatment to the sidewalks along the stretch of North Main Avenue, known as the “gay strip.”
Last week, crews were seen power washing the sidewalk in preparation for six-foot-wide rainbow striping one block north and one block south of the intersection of North Main Avenue and East Evergreen Street, where the rainbow crosswalks currently sit.
Federal pressure stoked flames last summer around the issue of roadway art. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a “SAFE ROADS” initiative in July that included a push to reduce “distractions,” saying “roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork.”
Now, the removal is the latest in a months-long spat between Pride groups, the city and state leaders, such as Gov. Greg Abbott.
Just over three months after Duffy’s letter to all 50 governors, Abbott issued an Oct. 8 directive for cities and counties to “remove any and all political ideologies” from Texas streets, under the threat of losing state and federal road funding.
San Antonio made an unsuccessful attempt to get an exception for its rainbow crosswalks, but in December, Assistant City Manager John Peterek told the Texas Department of Transportation the city would remove and replace the crosswalks by Jan. 15.
A city schematic of the sidewalk design shows chevrons at the corners, emulating the Progress Pride flag, which has colors representing the transgender community and people of color.
The $170,000 project will be funded from existing Public Works operational dollars. Since previously-approved contractors are being used, Peterek said the work didn’t require council approval.
KSAT asked the city for a breakdown of the project costs, but has not yet received it.
The two conservatives on the city council, Misty Spears (D9) and Marc Whyte (D10), slammed the use of public dollars in a joint news release Wednesday.
If private individuals or businesses wish to use their money to make a statement, they have the right to do so. But to use public dollars to paint colored sidewalks instead of allocating that money to core infrastructure needs is not in the best interest of our citizens.
Councilman Marc Whyte (D10)
I believe the elimination of the rainbow crosswalks was an important roadway safety decision made by the state of Texas and not intended to target San Antonio or the LGBTQ community. Protected free speech is what makes America the best country in the world. However, tax dollars should not fund individual viewpoints.
Councilwoman Misty Spears (D9)
Pride San Antonio raised nearly $20,000 to cover the extra costs of installing the rainbow crosswalks in 2018 — a project that cost roughly $32,500 in all.
Peterek said pieces of the crosswalk would be saved for possible future art installations.
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