Four Arrested During Montrose Pride Crosswalk Protest
Police cleared the intersection as crews paved over rainbow striping.
Less than a week after local officials publicly denounced Governor Greg Abbott’s order to remove Houston’s rainbow crosswalk, police officers arrested four protesters early Monday morning who refused to move as work crews paved over the intersection. Read our coverage of the crosswalks’ removal here.
The clash began around 2:00 a.m. at Westheimer Road and Taft Street, where city contractors arrived to grind down the rainbow-painted crosswalk. Protesters sat across the intersection, blocking heavy machinery until Houston Police Department’s Special Response Group was called to clear the roadway.
Officers issued multiple warnings before making arrests. Among those taken into custody was Ethan Hale, a Houston City Council candidate and activist involved in an effort to recall Mayor John Whitmire. Three others were also arrested after refusing to leave the street.
By about 5:00 a.m., crews were able to begin the repainting project. The work followed Abbott’s statewide directive warning that cities displaying “social, political, or ideological messages” on public streets could risk losing state and federal transportation funding.
METRO, which oversees the intersection, said the agency was complying with the governor’s order and had 30 days to bring the crosswalk into alignment with state and federal roadway marking standards. Local officials including Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Council Member Abbie Kamin had urged METRO to delay or reconsider the removal, calling it unnecessary and lacking transparency.
The arrests came after a weekend of demonstrations at the intersection, where hundreds of residents gathered to oppose the plan. Protesters waved Pride flags, drew chalk rainbows on the sidewalks, and chanted in defense of what many described as a symbol of belonging in Houston’s LGBTQ community.
The rainbow crosswalks were first installed in 2017, funded by Pride Houston 365. The project honored the memory of 21-year-old Alex Hill, who was killed in a 2016 hit-and-run near the same intersection, and celebrated Montrose’s legacy as the heart of Houston’s LGBTQ life.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the intersection remained unmarked after crews stripped away the paint, with plans to re-stripe the pavement later this week. Advocates say they will continue to organize public actions and explore legal options to challenge Abbott’s order, which critics call discriminatory and politically motivated.
For many residents, the arrests highlight more than a dispute over traffic markings—they reflect a growing clash between state authority and local identity, and a community’s determination to keep its colors visible.
