Texas billboard battle: One rejects liberals. The other rejects bigotry
A new sign is up on I-40, in Amarillo, Texas, declaring, "Texas is for everyone -- not for bigotry," after another sign near the neighboring city of Vega told liberals to leave, according to the Dallas Morning News.
"Liberals," the first billboard read, "Please continue on I-40 until you have left our GREAT STATE OF TEXAS."
This bothered Amarillo resident Roman Leal, so he created a GoFundMe page to "put up a sign that represents the true, hospitable spirit of the great state of Texas," he wrote in his fundraising post, which was accompanied by a photo of the anti-liberal billboard.
"Texas is for everyone - not for bigotry," Leal's sign reads. "Welcome y'all."
He's hoping the billboard will give Amarillo a chance to "put our best boot forward," he said in his post.
Leal told the Dallas Morning News that he wanted the sign to represent the hospitality that he knows and loves about the Texas Panhandle.
"My grandparents were migrant farm workers who came to this area and fell in love with the sense of community in this area and were welcomed by the people who live here," he said.
The billboard went up Friday on an I-40 digital billboard in Amarillo. The interstate runs directly through both Amarillo and Vega. The two cities are just about 36 miles apart.
The original billboard telling liberals to leave was taken down just a day after it went up. The client who originally paid for the billboard requested that it be taken down according to the owner of Burkett Outdoor Advertising.
Kyle McCallie, who took the viral photo of the first billboard, told CNN that he was offended that it was taken down because of public backlash.
"I thought it was a good message," Mccallie said. "If you're offended by it, then follow the directions like the sign says."
Leal's GoFundMe campaign has only been up for six days and has more than doubled the original $1,800 goal, reaching $3,980 dollars as of Tuesday morning. He said that the extra money will go towards keeping the sign up past the initial four-week period.
"I'm super proud to be a citizen of Texas and a citizen of Amarillo," Leal told Dallas Morning News. "I've really been proud of the response."
