Over the past few weeks, a decade-old rainbow crosswalk at Taft and Westheimer has been in the news—both locally and nationally. The crosswalk was originally created as a memorial to Michael Alex Hill, a 21-year-old waiter who was struck and killed while riding his bike through the intersection. “It was a tribute—a reminder of a life lost, a symbol of safety, and a celebration of community,” Charles Swan explained in a recent Facebook post.
After Metro finished repaving Westheimer recently, they carefully repainted the crosswalk’s rainbow stripes. At that point, Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatened to withhold state transportation funds for Houston if the City didn’t remove all art that reflected “political ideologies” from its streets. Metro responded by repaving the intersection.
A Generous Artist’s Offer
After Houston’s rainbow crosswalk was removed, local muralist Nicky Davis posted a comment on an online Houston Chronicle article, offering to paint a free rainbow-themed mural for any nearby business. The community quickly suggested the Korny Vibes Vegan Café, located at the intersection facing the crosswalk. Davis reached out to the owners, and they were thrilled with his proposal.
Designing the mural proved emotionally challenging for Davis. He wanted to capture the anger over the crosswalk’s removal and the supportive spirit of the surrounding neighborhood. He decided to fill the mural space with as many rainbows as possible…