- Allegations of sexual improprieties against Cesar Chavez have drawn the attention of officials in two Utah cities with streets named for the man.
- It’s too early to say if the news will prompt them to rescind the designations.
- Portions of streets in Salt Lake City, Ogden and West Valley City are commemoratively named in honor of the late labor leader.
OGDEN — Jesse Garcia, one of the first Latino members of the Ogden City Council, was a key moving force in naming part of 30th Street in the city after Cesar Chavez, the labor leader and Latino rights activist.
“He did do a lot of things for the farm workers as far as the rights and stuff like that,” said Garcia, who himself comes from a family of farm laborers. “That’s why I did that with the street name.”
Now, revelations that Chavez allegedly sexually abused girls and women in the worker’s rights movement he led have Garcia wondering. He’s not turning his back on the man, not saying the honorary Cesar Chavez Street designation along 30th Street from Wall Avenue to Harrison Boulevard should be rescinded. Rather, he wants more information as the news, originally reported on Wednesday by the New York Times, is fresh…