DALLAS - 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.
Oak Lawn rainbow crosswalk arrest
What we know:
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.
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FOX 4 crews capture man spray painting Dallas crosswalks
A man was arrested Tuesday morning after he was caught repainting a crosswalk in the Oak Lawn neighborhood.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not yet released the suspect's name, and police said an investigation into his identity is ongoing.
Texas mandate on "political messaging" in Dallas crosswalks
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Dallas removes rainbow crosswalks in Oak Lawn
The City of Dallas has begun removing decorative crosswalks across the city as it complies with Greg Abbott's mandate to remove distracting political messaging. FOX 4's Steven Dial has more.
The backstory:
The removal began Monday morning as Dallas works to comply with a Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) 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.
LGBTQ+ community responds to Oak Lawn crosswalk removal
Dig deeper:
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."
Dallas community engagement: Alternative art programs and meetings
What you can do:
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:
- Uptown: 5:30 p.m. April 6 at Theater Three, 2688 Laclede St.
- South Dallas: 5:30 p.m. April 8 at the South Dallas Cultural Center, 3400 S. Fitzhugh.
- Cedar Springs: 5:30 p.m. April 10 at the Reverchon Recreation Center, 3505 Maple Ave.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the City of Dallas, Dallas police and previous FOX 4 reporting.