Todos estamos listos para cambiar todo la informacion necessario. Muchas Gracias al gobierno del pueblo de Portland.

Aaaah, the long rich (nonexistent) history shared by Chavez and E 39th Street.

When I think "organized farmworkers", I've always thought of 39th.

One more reason to move my company out of Portland.

Q: How many City employees does it take to change out a street sign?

And they have to do each pole twice -- once to put up Chavez and again a year or two later to take down 39th.

Now THATS job creation.

As far as I can tell, Cesar Chavez was a good man and did right in this world. If the City wants to commemorate that legacy, why argue? Why trivialize? Any company that thinks this is a reason to relocate out of Portland, should take care that the door doesn't hit them on the way out.

"Political correctness does not legislate tolerance; it only organizes hatred."

-Jacques Barzun

"I believe that political correctness can be a form of linguistic fascism, and it sends shivers down the spine of my generation who went to war against fascism."

-P.D. James

"What I think the political correctness debate is really about is the power to be able to define. The definers want the power to name. And the defined are now taking that power away from them."

-Toni Morrison

As far as I can tell, Cesar Chavez was a good man and did right in this world. If the City wants to commemorate that legacy, why argue?

Because *we* are the city. Strangely, that fact--affirmed repeatedly by citizens--was entirely ignored to placate a small group that labeled opponents "racists".

Because *we* are the city. Strangely, that fact--affirmed repeatedly by citizens--was entirely ignored to APPEASE a small group that labeled opponents "racists."

Fixed. And they will learn how well appeasement works when the same group, now revved up from their 39th St. victory, makes another run at things.

I believe Mr. Chavez took when he was at his apex and that he had a harsh attitude toward illegal immigrants and their effects on American labor.

My daughter went to Roosevelt School. I'm not a big fan of Franklin, so I just pretended it was named after Teddy. So if this really upsets my fellow conservatives just pretend the street is named after *Linda* Chavez, Bush II's Secretary of Labor appointee, and now with the Anti-Affirmative Action "Center for Equal Opportunity" think tank.

A friend just recently got popped by that red light camera. The ticket was, what, $280? I guess hanging Chavez's good name up there makes everything okay.
39th and Sandy is now a monument to our unresponsive and predatory local government.

To paraphrase Voltaire, histories are just fables that have been agreed upon.

Hate is such a waste of time and energy.

Hey, at least it's better than naming 42nd after Douglas Adams.

"As far as I can tell, Cesar Chavez was a good man and did right in this world. If the City wants to commemorate that legacy, why argue?"

Why does the city have to reach into the pockets of every single person living and working on that street to rename it, when they are about to start building a bridge across the Willamette that is going to need a name?

I'm all for commemorating people that deserve it, but there's much better ways than naming a strip of asphalt regardless of what the people that actually interact with said strip of asphalt think and want.

just pretend the street is named after *Linda* Chavez

Thanks. I'm sticking with Hugo.

What? No Sammy? Amazing he would miss a photo-op like this one. Or how 'bout ol' Randy? I'm surprised he didn't don a hardhat and go up in the bucket....

Hate is such a waste of time and energy.

I know, right? That lady who repeatedly attended City Council meetings and denounced opposing viewpoints as "racist", "hatred of the worst kind" and had several choice hateful moments was really something. I couldn't believe how vicious she was.

Nice, blame the road name for blowing a red light. Way to divert the traffic... I think there are better things to gripe about, if griping is your mode of conduct in this world. Maybe the better word was bigotry? The name's a name's a name. But it means something to those that believe that advocating equality is the only path to liberty. Free choice is only free choice to those free to make it. Don't forget the privilege under which you entered THIS land..

HoodLife, it's easy to presume that opponents were all acting out of bigotry, but it simply isn't true.

I think proponents completely misunderstood the opposition throughout this whole process and still do.

Just another reason to not live or have a business in Portland. I here Chicago is wooing us... http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/01/25/daily43.html

The name's a name's a name. But it means something to those that believe that advocating equality is the only path to liberty.

Which has nothing to do with whether or not it's appropriate as a street name in Portland.

Don't forget the privilege under which you entered THIS land..

Chavez was opposed to illegal immigration, and was born in America and was a citizen.

I agree with Snards. the divisive, hateful tone of many proponents was as puzzling as it was just plain wrong. And, in fact, racist.

The draconian vice-grip of political correctness is driving this country over the edge.

Parallels to Orwell's 1984 doublespeak.

"The system worked", stated by Janet Napolitano in the aftermath of the Christmas day plot.

"there was insufficient derogatory information to place abdulmutallab on a no-fly list", quote from a state department official, although bomber was already on a no-entry list in the UK.

"Islam is a religion of peace" George Bush, after 9/11.

"We were afraid to offend him over his religion", officials at Ft Hood after 13 people lost their lives.

It's time to get a grip and start being outspoken everywhere against this tyranny of conformity.

Gaye Harris says: "The system worked", stated by Janet Napolitano in the aftermath of the Christmas day plot.

It is also what City Council said in the aftermath of the the street renaming "process."

Can we just all come right out and say it. To designate a street named "Cesar Chavez Blvd." connotates a run-down or impoverished part of town. 39th Ave. in Portland is neither of those and from what I know of the area, having attended Grant High School, the area has a very small or non-existent Latino population.

To say that this decision was forced on the people living on 39th ave. is an understatement. If I lived there I would be concerned about property values frankly, whether or not the perception is true or not regarding the renaming and what the name "Cesar Chavez" implies.

I am sure the guy did great work and from what I know about him he was a true patriot, but his name is associated with farm workers and I am sure that the folks in Laurelhurst are not real keen about that connection being associated with their neighborhood.

"My daughter went to Roosevelt School. I'm not a big fan of Franklin, so I just pretended it was named after Teddy."

Seems like somebody whose daughter went there would know that the school, built in 1921, actually is named after Theodore Roosevelt. Or was that supposed to be a joke?

Prhps it would be helpful, even useful, to return to this O OpEd
from last July:
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/07/cesar_chavez_boulevard_the_exp.html

"If I lived there I would be concerned about property values frankly, whether or not the perception is true or not regarding the renaming and what the name "Cesar Chavez" implies."

What does it imply Wacky Macky? That poor Mexicans are going to suddenly start flocking to the neighborhood around Cesar Chavez Blvd? Will there be an explosion of taco stands in the Laurelhurst neighborhood?

Oh for chissakes, get over it already. It was a silly street name changing effort that caused way to much drama for over a year and a half in this town. Let's just fricking move on already.

Prhps this piece, too, will be edifying, for it strongly suggests that César Chávez would not have been honored by what the City Council has done, allegedly in his name, in Portland:
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/05/chavez_would_take_high_road_on.html

If I lived there I would be concerned about property values frankly, whether or not the perception is true or not regarding the renaming and what the name "Cesar Chavez" implies.

I've lived two blocks or less from Chavez/39th for over twenty years, since my neighborhood was full of skinheads and heroin addicts. Even after the fall in housing prices over the past few years, our house is worth at least seven or eight times what it was in 1990. I think the 'hood can handle the name change.

Hugo Chavez. Thanks Allan, that was pretty good. For the record, I think Cesar was an American hero who certainly should have a few streets named after him. Same for Malcolm X and Ayn Rand. Hugo, not so much.

The only people I feel bad for our all the people that live and have a business over there.
After all, they all have to change their addresses now.

What a pain in the arse! Portland should have to foot the entire bill for those folks

It never ceases to amaze me how casually the government just forces citizens to make major changes.

Democracy?

Where, not in this country, that's for sure.

Thank heavens they included his middle initial "E" but why not his SSN?

You folks have any idea as to how many others share that name?

Would we want Citizens honoring the wrong Cesar E. Chavez?

What was Dr. Glisan's full name?

Rodney L - Today would be his 183rd birthday. He followed the classic early Portland road to success - Join Trinity & marry a Couch daughter.

He was just Rodney, his son was Rodney L. I like where this thread is going though - we're OK with renaming the streets so long as it's just last names, and preferably short ones. Malcolm X is looking better and better.

darrelplant, I am a long time resident of NE Portland and am quite familiar with the area around Laurelhurst and the Hollywood districts. When you think of the Laurelhurst neighborhood you think of stately homes and upper-middle class residents. Please fill me in on how the legacy of Cesar Chavez correlates with Laurelhurst?

And if I am not mistaken most homes in the Portland area have increased in value over the last 20 or so years, so your experience is by no means an example of a neighborhood increasing in value due to a new demographic in the area.

"We want to be recognized, yes, but not with a glowing epitaph on our tombstone . . . recognition is of value only in terms of what it leads on to. At the end of the trail we seek:
-not recognition, but signed [labor] contracts
-not recognition, but good wages"

-César Chávez, in testimony before the subcommittee on laborof the Senate Committee of Labor and Public Welfare, in 1969.

I say send Marta Guembes, who resisted any compromise, the bill for the cost of this stupidity.

Do you think with upwards of 10% unemployment we might have a few more pressing things to think about? That cost less?

Apparently not.

Guembes didn't, and doesn't even live in Portland or Multnomah County. Why she didn't press for a renaming in Beaverton, Aloha or Hillsboro (nearer her own residence and closer to established Hispanic neighborhoods) is a mystery.

Through the entire process, almost no information on who comprised the committee was available anywhere - website, press releases, etc.

Guembes was unpleasant, confrontational and unwilling to compromise in any way, even if the compromise represented a positive alternative offering equal visibility and honor (park, bridge, etc.)

Bulldozing, expensive, time-consuming, unnecessary. The final "unveiling" was a curiously deflating sight . . . poorly-draped sign, several people who almost certainly lived nowhere near 39th struggling ineffectively to pull the tangled cloth off as the cameras rolled. It didn't seem to be much of a crowd.

And now we, the businesses on 39th - and NOT Marta Guembes - get to pay for it.

Just be glad it didn't end up as Homer Williams Blvd. or Randy Leonard Ave.
Although with their growing audicity these things may not be far off...

Cesar was an American hero who certainly should have a few streets named after him. . . . . Hugo, not so much.

Hugo is undoubtedly an American hero to many (Latin America, that is) and surely has many streets named after him.

Macky, there's a lot of 39th that has nothing to do with Laurelhurst or Hollywood. Most of it in fact.

And I never said the several miles of the street had anything to do with Chavez, only that I don't think a simple name change is going to affect the hood enough to take it back to where it was when I moved here, when it was still just 39th Ave.

Way to go Portland! Another waste of money on meaningless symbolism. Paying public workers to change all the signs and public records, plus the extra costs to private businesses/individuals will cost many tens of thousands of dollars. Portland doesn't have the money to spend on empty symbols--just look at our escalating debt. And if we DID have the extra money, why spend it on street names? Wouldn't the extra money be better spent on programs like teen pregnancy prevention, gang intervention, and youth mentoring programs? We could name those programs after Chavez. It would be a much more fitting epitaph.