SAN ANTONIO, Tx — Another twist in the controversy over sidewalks and crosswalks in the Pride Cultural Heritage District.
Pride San Antonio and the Texas Conservative Liberty Forum have filed a joint lawsuit against city over the matter.
The lawsuit has put a pause on the rainbow sidewalk after the city learned of the lawsuit.
Attorney Justin Nichols is representing Pride San Antonio and the Texas Conservative Liberty Forum. He says the basis of the lawsuit stems from the city’s decision to use public money to remove the crosswalks and fund the rainbow sidewalks without holding a public meeting.
“Both of these organizations want city council to make this decision,” Nichols said. “They want the opportunity to make their case, even though they may be on opposite sides later. Pride San Antonio wants to keep the crosswalk. Absolutely TCLF wants to avoid spending public dollars on the sidewalk.”
The $170 thousand price tag of the rainbow sidewalk will be coming out of Public Works funding.
The issue over the rainbow art stems from Governor Greg Abbott’s order to remove all political ideologies from Texas streets or face state and federal funding cuts.
The city council is split. District 9 councilwoman Misty Spears and District 10 councilman Marc Whyte say they do not support public funding being used to fund the rainbow art.
In response District 2 councilman Jailen McKee-Rodriguez says taxpayers wouldn’t be paying anything if the Governor hadn’t forced the city to rip up and replace a perfectly good intersection.
Nichols says the lawsuit could be resolved Friday if the city does one thing.
“All they have to do is put it on the council agenda within 72 hours and this lawsuit will go away,” Nichols said.