Some big and colorful changes are underway for one Montrose intersection this weekend. Crews are working on Houston’s first Pride crosswalk at Westheimer and Taft.
“This is a bold statement for the city to make,” said Radu Barbuceanu, a Houston Pride Crosswalk Committee member. “It’s the largest city in the nation to have a Pride crosswalk. It’s the first city in Texas to have a Pride crosswalk. It just means we’re accepting and welcoming.”
Like the actual process of painting each line, getting the privately-funded project approved took many steps and a lot of community partners, such as Up Art Studio.
“It’s unreal,” Up Start’s Elia Quiles. “There were so many barriers and hoops we had to go through to make it happen, so it’s amazing to see the paint actually on the ground now.”
Organizers chose the intersection because it is where 21-year-old Alex Hill died in a hit-and-run crash in January 2016.
He was walking in the crosswalk when police say Emmanuel Salgado ran a red light, hit Hill then kept driving.
The colors of the rainbow celebrate Hill’s life and welcome others to the most diverse city in the country.
“It’s a beacon. It’s a beacon to let others know we’re here. We’re not going anywhere and we’re going to continue our fight,” said Frankie Quijano, Pride Houston President & CEO.
Even though there’s still a bit of work to be done, organizers say the crosswalks will be finished Sunday, just in time for next weekend’s Pride celebration.