Judge Blocks César Chávez Street Renaming In Texas

A Texas judge blocked the re-naming of Durango Boulevard in downtown San Antonio, Texas to honor César Chávez today. As we wrote earlier this week, the vote to rename the street came along racial lines, 7 to 3, with only Latinos voting for the change and the dissenting votes coming from people who represent the non-Latino parts of town. MSNBC reports:

The temporary restraining order from State District Judge Antonia Arteaga came just days after the City Council voted along ethnic lines to approve the name change…

“It is very important that we protect the integrity of our history, and that includes objecting to changing street names,” said Bill Oliver, who represents the San Antonio Conservation Society, which sued to oppose the name change…

A hearing on the name change is set for June 3, when Oliver says the Conservation Society will seek to make Monday’s temporary injunction permanent.

Which is to say, who’s history are we honoring here? San Antonio is a majority Latino city, and Chávez was an important figure in the history of the United States. Plus, as we reported earlier this week, Durango Street has about seven different names, depending on where you are along its route.

The real issues at play here are much deeper than street signs, we’ll keep you in the loop at News Taco.

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD