Mysterious Signs Sprout All Over Kern Place

by Doug Wernet

EL PASO — Residents of the Kern Place area in West-Central are discovering their neighborhood is the target of a clever protest.

There are no chants or picketers — only some interesting “directions” posted throughout the streets. Residents do not have a clue as to who is responsible for the signs and can only agree on one thing: the signs are attracting a lot of attention.

“No pole dancing allowed,” reads one of the signs. Another states, “Vote with your conscience,” a clear reference to recent elections in Texas.

“I’m used to angry ‘letters to the editor,’ but this is really clever and gets the point across,” said City Representative Ann Morgan Lilly. “It’s one of the most cleverish and funniest forms of protest I’ve seen since I’ve been in office.”

Lilly believes the signs were put in the neighborhood between late Friday night and early Saturday morning. She thinks whoever made the signs did it to protest the poles that were originally standing without anything on them.

City officials say the poles were put up in anticipation of “no parking” signs that were mandated after an ordinance was passed in January to keep UTEP students from parking in the residential area. The poles were erected in the wrong area, said Morgan

Some residents think whoever made the signs is only trying to make light of the mistake and is not doing anything inappropriate.

“It’s a creative and peaceful protest,” said Kern Place resident Lillian Bristol. “It’s only meant to get the area some attention.”