Utah’s capital city honorarily named a segment of 500 South after Cesar Chavez over two decades ago, seeking to celebrate the life and work of the influential 20th century labor movement leader.
However, in light of last week’s New York Times investigative report, which detailed accusations of sexual assault along with substantial evidence from multiple women against him, the Salt Lake City Council is now exploring the idea of removing his name from the road that runs adjacent to the southern edge of City Hall.
Members of the City Council agreed Tuesday that Chavez’s name will be removed from the road, but they are still unsure about how they will go about doing it just yet. His name could be covered by reflective tape before the signs are replaced in the coming weeks, Salt Lake City Council Chairman Alejandro Puy told KSL.
“It was literally shocking to hear that a hero for many of us committed such horrible things, and victimized and hurt so many people,” he said, adding that many of his friends were equally sad and angry after last week’s report.
Chavez, who died in 1993, rose to fame in the 1960s, using nonviolent protest to advocate for better working conditions for farmers. He ultimately became the leader of the United Farm Workers and a civil rights icon, where he continued to push for various reforms throughout the rest of his life.
He was posthumously awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 1994, and President Barack Obama ultimately named Chavez’s longtime California home a national monument in 2012.
The Salt Lake City Council voted unanimously in 2002 to name 500 South from 700 East to 500 West “Cesar Chavez Boulevard,” following support from a group called the Committee to Honor Chavez.
Cheers erupted from the gallery that watched the vote inside the Salt Lake City-County Building at the time, according to a Deseret News report of the meeting.
“I don’t believe the renaming of this boulevard is just symbolic ... it’s a tool for teaching in our schools, for teaching in our homes (of his ideals),” said former Utah legislator David Litvack at the time.
Everything suddenly changed last week. The accusations made against Chavez came from multiple women, including activist Dolores Huerta and some who said they were minors at the time they were assaulted.
The details were “disappointing and heartbreaking,” said Salt Lake Council Vice Chairwoman Erika Carlsen.
Conversations over renaming 500 South began shortly thereafter, as multiple Latino community leaders and residents all over the city reached out with their concerns.
Salt Lake City has a process to name city assets like buildings or parks, which it often uses when it comes to streets. These guidelines include not having an association with certain businesses, religion or political organizations, unless it’s for civic contributions. It also cannot be duplicative of existing city asset names to avoid confusion.
In addition to agreeing that 500 South will be renamed, the City Council signaled support for picking a new name that honors the Latino or farm working community so that it mirrors the intent of the 2002 name designation.
“I would really love for us to be a little bit more deliberative and not knee-jerk about this,” said Salt Lake City Councilwoman Victoria Petro.
The City Council debated over having a task force or a community process to rename the road. Additional meetings with community leaders are likely in the coming weeks, and a new name could be selected after those meetings, Puy added.
Salt Lake City is not alone in having these types of conversations. Ogden and West Valley City each have roads commemoratively honoring Chavez, which is also the case with communities all across the country.
California leaders also swooped in, renaming Cesar Chavez Day — a state holiday held on his birthday every year — to Farmworkers Day, Cal Matters reported.