The “Black Artists Matter” street mural and a rainbow crosswalk in Austin, Texas, may be removed after governor Greg Abbott moved to enforce a larger directive from President Donald Trump to get rid of political and artistic road murals across the country.
In a July 1 letter, transportation secretary Sean P. Duffy gave states 60 days to study crosswalks at intersections and develop a list of “compliance concerns” in their states, as part of his “Safe Roads” nationwide roadway initiative.
Per the US transportation department, “intersections and crosswalks need to be kept free from distractions. This includes political messages of any nature, artwork, or anything else that detracts from the core mission of driver and pedestrian safety.”
In response, on October 8, Texas governor Abbott directed the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to “remove any and all political ideologies” from the state’s streets in keeping with the July 1 federal directive.
Abbott added, “Any city that refuses to comply with the federal road standards will face consequences including the withholding or denial of state and federal road funding and suspension of agreements with TxDOT.”
The city is planning to comply, having identified about 16 locations that could be impacted, according to a post made by the city’s mayor Kirk Watson in the Austin City Council members’ public online message board. While the city outweighs the cost-benefit of having to cover over such displays, the mayor noted the $175 million in state and federal grant funding received by Austin Transportation and Public Works, along with additional upcoming grant opportunities that could be lost if the city doesn’t comply.
“With all the needs we have in this state, it’s disappointing and a waste of time to be talking about this,” Watson wrote. “Austin will comply with state law and we’ll demonstrate our love for all Austinites in other ways. We have a lot of pride. We’ll live it and we’ll show it.”
The mayor also outlines a plan for similar displays on city-owned property that, instead, would not violate state or federal requirements such as banners, painting of sidewalks, and permanent fixtures on city-owned sidewalks and utility poles “to represent our diverse community, show our love and pride, and allow Austinites to participate in expression.”
The “Black Artists Matter” mural in question is situated in Austin’s historically Black, East side neighborhood and was painted by local Black artists in collaboration with the Austin Justice Coalition and nonprofit Capitol View Arts in June 2020. That year was a time of reckoning, following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis that partly sparked the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM).
In light of federal directives aimed at diminishing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, there have been a number of cities and institutions impacted nationwide. In Washington, DC, for example, construction crews began dismantling a BLM mural in March.
