The Brief<\/p>\n
Laredo removed its “Defund the Wall” road mural after Gov. Greg Abbott warned cities could lose transportation funding.<\/p>\n
The city faced losing $1.6 billion in road project funds if it failed to comply with Abbott\u2019s order banning political markings.<\/p>\n
The move follows removals of Pride crosswalks and other murals statewide under the governor\u2019s directive.<\/p>\n
LAREDO, Texas – Laredo is the latest Texas<\/a> city to remove a political road sign after the state’s governor threatened to withhold federal and state funding<\/a>.<\/p>\n The move follows public outcry over other road signs threatened by Gov. Greg Abbott’s order<\/a>, including LGBT+ Pride crosswalks in Texas’ major metropolitan areas.<\/p>\n \u2018Defund the Wall\u2019 mural removed<\/p>\n The mural was painted on a street in front of the federal courthouse in Laredo.<\/p>\n The removal was decided on by a vote prompted by Mayor Victor Trevi\u00f1o, the Associated Press reports<\/a>. He said in a meeting on Monday that the Texas Department of Transportation, which had been charged with enforcing the removals, alerted Trevi\u00f1o that the city risked losing $1.6 billion in funding for road projects.<\/p>\n What they’re saying<\/p>\n “We\u2019re not going to devastate our community for what is considered one particular vantage point on our public roads, even if this speech may be popular or well received,” Trevi\u00f1o is quoted as saying by the AP.<\/p>\n \u2018Political agendas\u2019 on roads<\/p>\n The backstory<\/p>\n In his Oct. 8 directive, Abbott<\/a> said non-standard signs and markings are unsafe misuses of tax dollars. Cities who refuse to comply with federal standards could now risk losing funding for road projects.<\/p>\n The release said any “non-standard surface markings, signage, and signals that do not directly support traffic control or safety” are unlawful and dangerous.<\/p>\n Examples of prohibited material include symbols, flags, or other markings conveying social, political, or ideological messages.<\/p>\n Abbott’s order came after a similar federal directive to states from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Duffy said street signs and markings are meant for safety, not political messaging.<\/p>\n Texas cities remove road markings<\/p>\n Dig deeper<\/p>\n Since then, major Texas cities have complied with Abbott, not wishing to risk TxDOT projects.<\/p>\n A well-known rainbow crosswalk in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood was set for removal<\/a> less than two weeks after Abbott’s order.<\/p>\n Austin was given 30 days by TxDOT to remove their markings, including rainbow crosswalks on Fourth Street<\/a> and Eleventh Street’s ‘”Black Artists Matter” mural.<\/p>\n