A man faces misdemeanor graffiti charges after being caught overnight attempting to restore an Oak Lawn rainbow crosswalk just one day after the city began a state-mandated removal of the displays.
A man was arrested early Tuesday morning after he was caught repainting a rainbow crosswalk in the Oak Lawn neighborhood, just one day after the city began removing the displays to comply with a state mandate.
Dallas police said the suspect was spotted around 3:30 a.m. near Cedar Springs Road and Knight Street. Officers found the man with a bag of paint and chalk. He had reportedly outlined a rainbow and planned to fill it in with chalk. He has been charged with misdemeanor graffiti and remains in police custody.Authorities have not yet released the suspect's name, and police said an investigation into his identity is ongoing.The removal began Monday morning as Dallas works to comply with a Texas Department of Transportation order. Last year, Gov. Greg Abbott called for the removal of decorative designs on public roadways, labeling them "political messaging" and a distraction to drivers. Abbott threatened to withhold state funding from cities that did not comply.TxDOT notified city officials in October 2025 that the designs did not meet standards set by the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. While Dallas attempted to preserve the markings, TxDOT issued a final denial on Jan. 15.Officials anticipate all 30 affected crosswalks, including a Black Lives Matter crosswalk in Fair Park, will be brought into state conformity by April 28. The city hopes to complete the project within three weeks.The Oak Lawn crosswalks were originally funded by more than $100,000 in donations, according to the North Texas LGBTQ Chamber Foundation. Residents gathered on sidewalks Monday to watch the removal, with many expressing feelings of being targeted."My personal emotions are grief," Valerie Jackson, chair of the LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce Foundation, told FOX 4. "It is interesting that it would take tax dollars to remove these right now."Constitutional lawyer David Coale noted that the state's action is legal so long as the rule is applied uniformly."If they have a rule that purports to be about anything in a crosswalk, but they only enforce it against certain kinds of crosswalks, there might be some argument there," Coale said. "But generally speaking, when the state spends money, it gets to put conditions on it."In response, the Office of Arts and Culture is developing alternative programs to recognize neighborhood identities through public art that does not involve pavement markings. Assistant City Manager Dev Rastogi stated in a memo to the City Council that the city is reviewing how peer cities handle similar requirements.The city has scheduled three community engagement sessions for resident input:
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