Who Has the Right to Shelter in a Small Town?

Spring break typically marks the start of tourist season in Marfa, Texas, when the streets fill with families from Dallas and handsome Los Angeles couples. College kids host late-night parties in Airbnbs. Influencers pose in front of crumbling adobe ruins. And every few weeks, we get a celebrity sighting: Guy Fieri riding a bike down the potholed streets, or Matthew McConaughey hunkering down to complete his book of poetry. A few years ago, a friendly street cat brushed up against Heidi Klum’s ankles at dinner, and a few days later, it was on her private plane, heading to its new home in Hollywood.

Until a month ago, complaining about the tourists was a low-stakes bonding activity around town. We grumbled about how they stood in the middle of the road taking pictures and how they wore bathrobes in public, as if here,” his friend added.