That proposal to paint a crosswalk just north of downtown in LGBT rainbow colors is sparking a major backlash at City Hall, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
The Council Governance Committee on Wednesday approved a proposal by downtown Councilman Roberto Trevino to paint the crosswalk at North Main and Evergreen, just east of San Antonio College, as a 'Pride Rainbow Crosswalk.' The area, which is known colloquially as the 'Gay-borhood,' includes many LGBT themed businesses and Gay Pride flags fly prominently in the area.
But Northwest side Councilman Greg Brockhouse openly questioned whether that is what the City, overburdened with needs, should be spending tax collars on.
"We have so many more pressing issues in our City than painting crosswalks," Brockhouse said. "We need to get to fix the basics now. Instead of painting crosswalks, we should be building crosswalks for schools, hiring more police officers and fixing our crumbling infrastructure."
Brockhouse also blasted the fact that the decision to move forward with a 'pilot program' was made by a council committee, and not at a full Council meeting with active pubic participation.
“There should be a process that is open and accessible to every group or organization," he said. Standards should be in place for design, application, installation and maintenance. But above all, no tax dollars should be used for the crosswalk project. It should also be open to any group meeting criteria established by the Council. If the VFW wants to paint service emblems on a crosswalk to their facilities, they should have the same right.”
Trevino said if all goes according to plan, the crosswalk should be repainted in rainbow colors by November or December.