Flagged Up in Lubbock

Flags waving in the West Texas wind are a common sight, but two caused an unusual stir this week.

On Wednesday, authorities arrested Kyle Alexander Holub, 22, in connection with the unauthorized placement of a black banner with Arabic text on Citizens Tower in downtown Lubbock, according to the Lubbock Police Department.

Nicolas Lopez/The Hub@TTU

The Citizens Tower in downtown Lubbock. Nicolas Lopez/The Hub@TTU

Holub was taken to the Lubbock County Detention Facility and booked on a charge of criminal trespassing. He was released from jail the following day, Feb. 18, according to records from the Lubbock County Sheriff’s office.

The banner, which has become the subject of national news, was reported to police by workers at the Citizens Tower on Monday morning.

In an email to the press on Monday, Mayor Glen Robertson said he asked Greg Stevens, Lubbock’s police chief, to notify the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Department about the banner.  Robertson also requested that the banner be removed, the building secured and the message translated.

“I fully understand that we must gather more facts before we make a knee jerk reaction but I am concerned on several levels,” the mayor’s email said.

David Villarreal, director of the Texas Tech language lab, said the Arabic text on the banner translates as “love all.”

Nicolas Lopez/The Hub@TTU

A’aya Bashiti, vice president of the Muslim Student Association at Texas Tech. Nicolas Lopez/The Hub@TTU

A’aya Bashiti, vice president of Texas Tech’s Muslim Student Association, said the mayor’s reaction to a banner containing a message of love confused her.

“I was kind of sad to see what the mayor’s response was,” she said.  “Arabic, the language, is not only used by Muslims; it is also used by Christians and people of different religions.”

Bashiti encourages people to learn more about the Islamic faith so that future misunderstandings can be avoided.

“The number one thing about Islam is peace, and I feel like that’s what was trying to be spread,” she said.

Source: Facebook

Source: Facebook

In other flag-related news, a photo depicting the improper disposal of an American flag at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport also drew a quick response from Lubbock’s mayor.

In a post on Facebook, Robertson said: “This photo of an American flag in the back of a City of Lubbock vehicle is circulating on Facebook. I have requested the City Manager, Mr. James Loomis, to investigate this situation and to put out a press release tomorrow detailing how this occurred and what steps he will take to ensure it never happens again. This is unacceptable!”

Since the incident, airport staff have met to ensure that proper flag handling and disposal procedures are followed at all times so this situation does not happen again, according to a city of Lubbock press release.

The flag in question has been taken to the American Legion Post for proper disposal.

About Nicolas Lopez

I am a senior journalism student at Texas Tech. In the fall I plan to attend graduate school. When I run out of money to pay for college, I plan to work as a documentarian and photojournalist.