Controversial Billboards Invoking Mass Shooting Warn Californians: 'Don't Move To Texas'

Californians in Los Angeles and San Francisco are seeing billboards looming over them with a warning: do not move to the state of Texas.

The controversial billboards appear to make a reference to the deadly Uvalde shooting to dissuade California-residents from moving to the Lone Star State. A man in a hoodie is also seen in the billboards.

"The Texas Miracle died in Uvalde. Don't move to Texas," reads the billboard, one of which is located in LA at the intersection of Barham and Cahuenga boulevards, overlooking the 101 Freeway. Another is located in San Francisco near the intersection of Folsom Street and 7th Street, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The "Texas Miracle" is a phrase that began doing the rounds after the state came out of the 2008 recession in a better condition than others. More jobs were created in Texas during this time. Former Gov. Rick Perry made the term, "Texas Miracle," popular in 2011 to highlight how the state weathered the economic storm.

The ominous billboards also show the words "Don't mess with Texas" struck off.

Birthed from an anti-littering campaign in the 1980s, "Don't mess with Texas" is now a slogan of pride among Texans, according to SFGATE.

Residents had mixed views about the billboards.

"I don't think it's in particularly good taste," an onlooker told ABC13 Houston.

Californian Luke Gray agreed with the billboard "100%" and said, "So many people are leaving here and going to Texas anyway. It's like, 'Don't go there.'"

It is currently unclear who is responsible for the billboards. KSAT reported the billboards were leased to an unnamed advertiser by an agency called FoxPoint Media, based in Chicago.

"Who's paying for that advertisement? Is Texas buying billboards to deter Californian expatriates from turning their state blue?" a Reddit user speculated.

Some found it distasteful that the billboard referenced the tragic Uvalde shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers in May.

" ... It's honestly kinda offensive to the people who lost their children in Uvalde. This billboard is so stupid," one Redditor said.

San Jose State University's Public Relations Professor Dr. Matt Cabot called the billboard the "lowest of the low," while speaking to NBC Bay Area.

"I'm not sure if it will even backfire because I'm not sure what it's designed to do," he told the outlet Thursday.

California and Texas are reportedly known to have a long-standing rivalry. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have also had public feuds over guns, abortion and other issues.

Cabot's guess about the person behind the billboard is "on the liberal side, just because of two reasons. One, is that they've crossed out the 'Don't mess with Texas' slogan, which is a beloved slogan for people on the right. And, they said the Texas miracle died."

An average of 68,700 Californians moved to Texas every year in the past 10 years, according to the U.S. Census. The pandemic also reportedly led to a spike in the numbers. However, the number constitutes less than 1 percent of California's population of over 39 million.