BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A high school and other landmarks in Delano named after labor leader Cesar Chavez are now under scrutiny. This raises a question: How does this affect Kern County and the culture considered the birthplace of the United Farm Workers Union?

Cesar Chavez School, Cesar Chavez Lane, Cesar Chavez Park — The late activist’s name is interwoven into the very fabric of Kern County and the Central Valley.

But now, with a legacy in crisis, the people who once revered Chavez question his name and its place in our everyday lives.

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“So obviously there is a lot of good work that he did,” said Harveen Kaur, a Bakersfield resident. “But it’s just very disheartening and extremely alarming that men in positions of power go unchecked for so long.”

The city of Bakersfield revoked plans to rename H Street as Cesar Chavez Boulevard. Kaur said it was the right move.

“We shouldn’t be promoting somebody who is an abuser, and I think the city made the right decision in calling that to be canceled,” said Kaur.

Kaur isn’t alone — many who once admired Chavez feel the rug has been pulled from under them.

“It’s honestly, it’s very shocking,” said Mike Gomez, another Bakersfield resident. “Like you said, him being an icon … so much for civil rights and having some kind of very drastic news come out and something that’s been hidden for like a very long time. Like, yeah, that’s very shocking. It’s very disturbing.”

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And in these times of revelations and mistrust in our world, some residents think it’s more important than ever that nobody is above the law or morals.

“I don’t care who you are and this should go for anyone, soon as you have created (an) impact on hurting anyone who can’t fend for themselves,” said Bakersfield resident Gus Amontejano. “This is children, women, elderly, disabled — it doesn’t matter who it is. You’ve (taken) an advantage, especially children. You’ve taken their childhood.”

Treacherous implications for the legacy of Chavez, perhaps once most fondly remembered here in the communities he advocated for.

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