Three weeks after news broke of sexual abuse allegations against the late labor leader, Cesar Chavez, the public works committee of the City of Milwaukee Common Council unanimously voted to rename the street that bears his name.
The committee’s decision on Thursday, April 9, to rename South Cesar E. Chavez Drive on Milwaukee’s south side to South 16th Street will now move to the full council on April 21.
Ald. Jose Perez of District 12 and Ald. JoCasta Zamarripa of District 8 sponsored the measure.
Perez said he expects it to pass.
“It’s part of moving forward, it’s part of the healing, it’s part of reclaiming the street,” Perez said.
During the committee meeting, Zamarripa requested her name be removed as a co-sponsor of the ordinance, though she did not provide an explanation.
“There is some healing that has to happen,” Zamarripa said in the meeting. “Like some folks, I have some trepidation about removing the name that was advocated so hard for, to really represent the community. … I support the community renaming the street to something culturally appropriate.”
The Business Improvement District on South Cesar E. Chavez Drive also will be temporarily renamed to the South 16th Street Business Improvement District. It will host community meetings with neighbors on Milwaukee’s south side to gather suggestions for a new name.
According to Perez, the Common Council also will join in on those meetings to help determine if the street should remain South 16th Street, take on a new official name informed by the community, or keep the numerical name and receive an honorary street name.
“It’s up to the community, and there’s a process,” Perez said. “You have to knock on doors, petition, do mailing, but if that’s what the community wants, they have my full support. …I think people are hurt by what happened, but we’re resilient and we’re going to move forward.”
Alyssa Salcedo covers Silver City, Layton Park and Burnham Park for the Journal Sentinel’s Neighborhood Dispatch. Contact: asalcedo@usatodayco.com.
Neighborhood Dispatch reporting is supported by Zilber Family Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, Journal Foundation, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and reader contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: “JS Community Journalism”) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.
The JS Community-Funded Journalism Project is administered by Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36-4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association, and EnMotive, a subsidiary of USA TODAY Co.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Public Works Committee votes to drop Chavez street name
Reporting by Alyssa N. Salcedo, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
