Billboards in San Francisco and Los Angeles use Uvalde massacre to warn against moving to Texas

Billboards have appeared in both San Francisco and Los Angeles which are set out to discourage people from moving to Texas.

“The Texas Miracle died in Uvalde. Don’t move to Texas,” the billboards state, a hooded figure is also present on the billboard along with a crossed-out “Don’t mess with Texas” slogan.

The Uvalde massacre at Robb Elementary School, which occurred on May 24, left 21 people dead, including 19 students and 2 teachers. It was the deadliest school shooting in the US in 10 years.

The billboards come after census data has shown that many people from California have uprooted and moved to Texas. California lost a House seat last spring as its population decreased, whereas Texas gained 2 seats.

As noted by KHOU-11, census data shows that 68,700 Californians moved to Texas every year from 2009 to 2019. California’s population is more than 39 million, so the people leaving for Texas represents less than 1% of the population.

In a column in the New York Post last year, author and Texas transplant Kevin D. Williamson argued that Texas has become a haven for conservative citizens who wanted to find an escape from California’s “woke” policies.

Williams said that “high taxes and high rents,” weren’t California’s only problems, he also cited “heavy-handed and ineffective” response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eric Raddle, who is CEO of The Miller Ad Agency, said that the billboard has failed in its goal. “If you have to mention the competition, you’ve already lost the game in advertising,” Radle said. “All this has done is given attention to Texas.”

Radle also said that the billboard’s message is in bad taste. “It’s a bridge too far, and I think it’s left-handed to try to equate a move to Texas with violence. Every populous state has these issues,” Radle said. “And the timing is always poor if you’re referencing the pain of others to drive home your message–that’s a bad idea in advertising.”