"Fans of the Buddy Holly crosswalk in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas, with a painted depiction of the rock and roll legend's iconic glasses, will soon have to say goodbye to it. That'll be a day that will possibly make them cry. Lubbock City Council members said this week they have no choice but to remove it, to comply with a directive from the Trump administration and Republicans to rid the public roadways of any political messages or artwork."
"Lubbock received a letter from the Texas Department of Transportation with "some harsh wording" that threatened the possible loss of state or federal funding for road projects if such artwork was not removed, David Bragg, Lubbock's interim division director of public works, told council members on Tuesday. "This was very broad letter. I don't think it was intended to go after, say, the Buddy Holly glasses. Unfortunately it did," Bragg said."
Officials in Lubbock, Texas, will remove a downtown crosswalk painted with Buddy Holly's iconic glasses to comply with a directive aimed at eliminating political messages or artwork from public roadways. Similar removals have occurred in Laredo and outside the Pulse nightclub in Florida. The Buddy Holly crosswalk was installed in 2020 near the Buddy Holly Center. The Texas Department of Transportation warned of potential loss of state or federal road funding if such artwork remained, describing the communication as having "some harsh wording." City leaders said they feel compelled to comply and do not intend to pursue litigation; removal will occur during routine maintenance next year.
#public-art-removal #buddy-holly-crosswalk #texas-department-of-transportation #transportation-funding #political-messaging
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