Chavez, who died in April 1993, came to national prominence in the mid-1960s when he led strikes against California grape producers in protest of the working conditions of farm laborers. Thirty-three years ago, he led a march along the stretch of highway that now bears his name. Although Chavez focused his struggle on the plight of the workers, his activism led to the wider Hispanic civil rights movement and political action. Corpus Christi City Councilman Arnold Gonzales picketed with Chavez during the early 1970s, while Gonzales was a doctoral student at the University of Michigan. Gonzales, who served as a bodyguard for Chavez during a picket march, said he was shocked that someone would deface a memorial honoring the labor leader.
People do that out of hate.
Community members should not let the incident spark further hatred, he said. You just clean it up and move on. I'm sure the whole community will not allow that kind of behavior to divide us. Times Publishing Company, a Scripps Howard newspaper. All rights reserved.