MILWAUKEE — The statue of Cesar Chavez on South Cesar E. Chavez Drive in Milwaukee was taken down on Friday following the recent sexual abuse allegations against him.
The community covered the statue on Thursday with trash bags prior to the statue being taken down. This comes after a New York Times investigation that was published this week in which they detail allegations from multiple women who say they had experienced sexual abuse or rape by Chavez, some when they were children.
One of the women who came forward is Dolores Huerta, a labor leader who co-founded the United Farm Workers along with Chavez.
TMJ4's Meryl Hubbard spoke with community members on Thursday to talk about the allegations.
"It's so unfortunate what happened to not only Dolores Huerta, but all the women who have been assaulted, victimized, or all the things, the tragedies that have come to light," local Latina artist who painted a mural of Huerta on Milwaukee's south side, Nyia Luna, said.
Local organizations are also speaking out. The Racine mayor announced on Thursday that he is proposing a name change for the Cesar Chavez Community Center to the Dolores Huerta Community Center instead.
The City of Milwaukee canceled its celebration of Chavez scheduled for later this month.
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