I have three things to say about this.
An order from Gov. Greg Abbott has made rainbow crosswalks celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride disappear across Texas. But Abbott’s directive also has one of Lubbock, Texas’ most famous residents catching strays.
As part of Abbott and the Texas Department of Transportation’s crackdown on rainbow crosswalks, the City of Lubbock announced earlier this week that crosswalk art featuring towering musician Buddy Holly’s iconic glasses will be removed.
At a Nov. 11 city council meeting, David Bragg, Lubbock’s interim Director of Public Works, said that guidelines from Abbott and the U.S. Department of Transportation forbid art on roadways.
“The state and federal mandates are saying that we cannot have any artwork on the roadways,” Bragg said. “So on Nov. 5 of this year, we notified the TxDOT district that the decorative crosswalks will be removed.”
The glasses, which are painted on the crosswalks at the intersection of 18th Street and Buddy Holly Avenue next to the Buddy Holly Center, were installed in 2020 to honor Holly, who was born in Lubbock in 1936. Holly’s early career is inextricably intertwined with Lubbock. Holly attended Lubbock High School and played gigs throughout town and on local radio station KDAV with other musicians he met at school. After graduating in 1955, Holly went on to pursue a music career and opened for Elvis Presley that same year. He and his band, The Crickets, would go on to book television appearances and become instant successes.
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Bragg told Lubbock city council members that, besides the potential loss of city funds, the city could be liable for any crash or accident at the Buddy Holly glasses intersection. Bragg said the removal of the crosswalk will occur sometime in the next year, and City Manager Jared Atkinson told the council that the city will cover the cost of removing the artwork.
Besides the memorial to Holly, two other pieces of crosswalk art in Lubbock are slated for removal: colorful polka dots on Mac Davis Lane and a design in the Heart of Lubbock district at 23rd Street painted with a design resembling a mesquite bean. The city of Kerrville, too, has said it will remove crosswalk art, even if it’s not political.
Lubbock officials told local media they were disappointed at Abbott and TXDOT’s directive, which they said was not intended to touch the Buddy Holly glasses. Still, they decided that it was better to be safe than sorry.
“It’s so unfortunate because it’s such a tasteful cross-section and people like it,” Lubbock Mayor Pro Tem Christy Martinez-Garcia said of the Buddy Holly design.
1. I don’t know if there’s more to the story than this, but if I were a resident of Lubbock I’d be pissed about this, at least as pissed as we in Houston have been. Like, how is any of this “political”? Did anyone in Lubbock city government ask if they really had to get rid of these art works? What answer did they get? At least let me know if I should be mad at my local officials for folding like John Whitmire did or if I should direct it all at Greg Abbott and his toadies in TxDOT.
2. Is anyone going to ask Greg Abbott what he thinks about this? Does he think this tribute to one of Texas’ beloved sons is “political”? I’m sure he has no interest in answering those questions, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from asking them of him. That’s a hint to Democratic candidates, too. Maybe if enough noise is made he’ll feel compelled to say something.
3. And as long as one is going to make an issue out of this, point out just how un-fun and boring all this is. People – normal people, anyway – do tend to like this sort of thing. It’s fun! It’s colorful! It’s a break from the drudgery of the day. But Greg Abbott let himself get pushed around by some online loudmouth, and now we can’t have nice things. Any candidates who can’t think of a few ways to mock him about it needs to seek out some more creating people for their campaigns. This is an easy opportunity. Take advantage of it.