Artist’s Street Signs in Philadelphia Warn of Fascism Ahead
The guerrilla imitations of common road signage use a distinctive brand of Philly humor to alert residents of ICE threats and looming authoritarianism.
PHILADELPHIA — On a recent afternoon, among a sea of parking signs at the corner of 8th and Snyder in South Philadelphia, a new metal plaque bore a different kind of warning: “MIGRA ALERTA.” Beneath it, a text in Spanish informed passersby of their right to protect themselves from the invasive brutality of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. Across the street, a similar sign featured the same message in English. Alongside reminders that it is legal to record ICE activity and that individuals have the right to remain silent, smaller letters read: “Fuck la migra forever.”
The guerrilla signs are the handiwork of an artist who goes by Make it Weird. (They prefer to remain anonymous given the nature of their work.) Around the city, they've used DIY solar-powered screens to announce bus times when the underfunded Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) fails to do so, poked fun at the city’s wild side, and alerted pedestrians of oncoming fascism.
“MIGRA ALERTA” and “ICE WATCH,” created and installed by Make it Weird in July 2025 at 8th and Snyder Streets in South Philadelphia
With the threat of ICE atrocities looming in the background of daily life, the signs are seamless parodies of traffic law aesthetics (and, by extension, legality in general), using a distinctive brand of irreverent Philly humor to show the fierce love shared between the city’s residents.
Before the summer of 2025, Make it Weird never self-identified as an artist. But during those months, thick with humidity and political crises, they joined a number of local street artists who were increasingly using their stickers, tags, and other uncommissioned installations to raise awareness and push back against injustices at the city, state, and national levels.
“It has been really heartening to see the folks who put up art like this in the community speak out a lot more,” Make it Weird told Hyperallergic.
Jumping into the fray, Make it Weird put their know-how from years of tinkering in makerspaces to work. In one series, they digitized the handwriting of artist Resistance Ephemera and used a vinyl cutter to paste the text on a bright yellow backdrop. One sign reads, “YOU’D THINK THAT THE CONSTITUTION WAS YOUNGER, GIVEN HOW HARD REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING TO FUCK IT.” On another: “SOMEWHERE IN AMERICA, A LITTLE GIRL IS HIDING IN AN ATTIC WRITING ABOUT I.C.E.”
While some signs have been tagged over, buffed, or de-installed by city officials, others have remained undisturbed for months.
“It’s interesting and affirming that, particularly with the messages from Resistance Ephemera, they have staying power,” Make it Weird said. They added that even “citizen buff,” a term the artist used to describe non-uniformed locals who often take it upon themselves to erase graffiti and street art, has left the signs alone.
Left: A sign installed in June of 2025, during the SEPTA funding crisis Right: A sign welcomes visitors to South Philly with a bit of humor.
Why? Perhaps it's the makeup of South Philadelphia, where the artist installs most of their work.
“It’s almost impossible not to interact with your neighbors here,” Make it Weird said. Despite its rough-and-tumble reputation — they noted that the tiny brick rowhomes and narrow streets often lead to “stereotypes of shouting matches on the street” — Make it Weird told Hyperallergic that they hope their signs communicate what they hear below the din: “The voice that I’ve really tried to take on is the one that says, ‘We are a community, we are neighbors, and we are a city, and we’re all in this together.’”
