Milwaukee Common Council votes to rename Cesar Chavez Drive after abuse allegations
By Zoie Henry
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MILWAUKEE (WISN) — The Milwaukee Common Council voted to rename Cesar Chavez Drive on the city’s south side after allegations of sexual abuse against the civil rights leader surfaced in a recent report.
Thirteen alderspersons voted in favor of the name change. Alderperson JoCasta Zamarripa abstained from voting at all; the street lies in her district. Alderperson Marina Dimitrijevic was excused from the meeting altogether.
The decision follows a New York Times report last month detailing sexual abuse allegations against Cesar Chavez.
Earlier this month, the Milwaukee Public Works Committee voted to move forward with renaming the street, nearly 30 years after it was first dedicated. The city originally renamed the street in 1996 — between Mitchell and Pierce streets — three years after Chavez’s death.
The plan is to change it back to 16th Street.
In addition to renaming the street, the city also canceled its annual Cesar Chavez Day, which is usually celebrated in March. The owner of El Rey Market on the south side has taken down his Cesar Chavez statue and said he plans to replace it with a family of migrants.
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