Texas man arrested for restoring Pride crosswalk issues defiant response
Mason Whiteside (Instagram/mason_coolside)
A Texas man was arrested Tuesday (24 March) after repainting rainbow Pride crosswalks in Dallas that were removed Monday (23 March) under a state mandate.
Mason Whiteside was detained shortly before 3:30 AM Tuesday, after police officers saw him using chalk and spray paint to restore the designs in areas like Oak Lawn, a historic LGBTQ+ neighbourhood.
The removals began earlier this week after the Texas Department of Transportation enforced an October 2025 directive from Governor Greg Abbott requiring cities to remove non-standard road markings, arguing they could pose safety risks.
READ MORE: Texas church has perfect, beautiful response to state’s removal of rainbow crosswalks
Whiteside was taken into custody over an unrelated, years-old traffic violation and paid to be released the following morning.
Speaking with The Dallas Morning News on 24 March after his arrest, he criticised the broader crackdown on LGBTQ+ and racial justice symbols, warning “How much longer until it’s not just crosswalks? Until they take our spaces, our actual spaces? There are a series of dominoes that could fall.”
The incident comes amid a wider national push to remove Pride and Black Lives Matter street art, with similar actions taking place in cities across the US.
Despite the risks, Whiteside made clear he has no intention of backing down. “Every single time they try to take it away,” he said, “I’m going to put it right back.”
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