GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A Grand Rapids resident is pushing to remove Cesar Chavez’s name from a city street after allegations of sexual abuse came to light against the labor rights leader last month.
Resident Jimmy Arizola submitted the request to the city on April 7, asking that the city remove any portraits of Chavez and to rename Cesar E. Chavez Avenue due to the “deeply troubling allegations regarding the nature of the movement he led, including instances of abuse and misconduct.”
“Our community, including our youth, should not be forced to walk down streets named after a figure associated with such a history,” Arizola wrote in a letter to the city, which was formally received by the Grand Rapids City Commission on April 14…