The César Chávez statue at the Five Points intersection has been vandalized.
VIDEO: Watch now at the scene:
This incident is on the heels of the allegations into sexual misconduct against the late labor leader.
What was used to vandalize the statue? Up close, it looked like it could be paint that had been poured over the top of the statue. If you take a look at the closing shot in my video report (above), it focuses on a red plastic lid on the ground, which I thought could potentially be the lid to a bottle of something, perhaps, like acrylic paint. But that's just my speculation. I have reached out to Tucson PD and the City to see if they have any additional information.
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As I walked up to the scene, there were city employees removing a sign from the park across the street from the statue. The sign read: 'In Memory of Cesar Chavez Human Rights and Union Activist.'
The city employees asked to remain off camera, but just minutes later when I came back to the sign, pictured above, they had completely removed it (which you can see in my video report above).
Related: 'I can no longer stay silent:' Dolores Huerta issues statement on Chavez
The César Chávez statue at Tucson’s Five Points intersection was created by local artist and sculptor Luis Gustavo Mena. The bronze figure—depicting Chávez holding clusters of grapes with a banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe blowing behind him—was conceived with input from neighborhood residents and arts-panel selection committees representing Barrio Viejo, Barrio Santa Rosa, Armory Park and Barrio Santa Rita. Mena intentionally scaled the figure larger-than-life so it would read clearly at the busy intersection; the finished statue stands about six feet tall on a six-foot base and faces south toward Sixth Avenue.
Mena sculpted the piece first in clay in his Barrio Anita studio, then cut the model into sections and sent those pieces to a local foundry (Metalphysic Sculpture Studio) for bronze casting and assembly. The public art project at Five Points included the Chávez statue as part of a larger installation of five steel arches and ten bronze panels reflecting local history and culture; the statue and plaques were installed as part of that coordinated work.
The Five Points gateway effort had a long history of planning—residents and the city began discussions in the 2000s and the design committee selected Mena in 2014—but the project encountered delays. The final construction phase moved forward in late 2020, and the city reported the Five Points art installation, including the Chávez sculpture, as complete in early 2021 (construction was described as finished by March 2021).
Details about the vandalism incident remain unclear, but as we get more information, check back. We'll share that at KGUN9 and KGUN9.com.
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