TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A Cesar Chavez statue at the Five Points intersection near Barrio Viejo was taken down by city crews Monday morning after being vandalized over the weekend.
The removal comes amid new scrutiny surrounding Chavez. Last week, United Farm Workers leader Dolores Huerta spoke out for the first time, accusing her co-founder of sexual abuse.
The statue stood along Sixth and 18th for six years before being taken down. I spoke with two local Hispanics who were influential in bringing the statue to the area about the city's decision.
Luis Mena is a local artist who created the sculpture in 2020.
"They're quick to take down sculptures, but are they quick to take down the confederate flag," Mena said.
"Our people, what they went through back then was trauma," Mena said.
Related: Cesar Chavez statue vandalized in Tucson
Pedro Gonzalez is the board chair for Barrio Viejo, where the statue is located. Both men said it took a lot of passion and energy to bring the statue to their barrio.
"It hurts that this is happening, because we did put a lot of time into this project," Gonzalez said.
Mena said the situation is a blow to the entire farmer rights movement of the 1960s.
"So many people that put hard work into the union, their passion and volunteering and today has becoming very heartbreaking," Mena said.
"This should have never happened. Our systemic system has failed," Mena said.
Gonzalez said he is glad no more damage was done to the area.
"The good thing about it is that they didn't do any more damage to this project," Gonzalez said.
The city says the statue is going to be stored.
Related: 'I can no longer stay silent:' Dolores Huerta issues statement on Chavez
For now, Gonzalez and Mena are moving forward and brainstorming what type of statue to put up on the now-empty stand.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Marc Monroy joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist after moving from KGUN 9’s sister station, KXXV, in Waco, Texas. He graduated from California State University, Northridge, in 2024 with a degree in journalism. A native of Southern California and a bilingual reporter, Marc is excited to serve Southern Arizona and looks forward to connecting with neighbors in the community. Share your story ideas and important issues with Marc by emailing marc.monroy@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
