Minneapolis is one vote away from wiping the César Chávez Avenue name off a single North Loop block and restoring its old identity: Fourth Avenue North. Ward 5 Council Member Pearll Warren filed the petition to revert the name, then stepped aside from the actual committee vote over conflict-of-interest concerns. The move comes as cities and states across the country reevaluate public honors for Chávez after national reporting surfaced serious allegations against him.
What the council advanced
The City Planning Commission signed off on a petition to change César Chávez Avenue, the short block between E Lyndale Ave N and Border Ave, back to 4th Ave N, according to City of Minneapolis records. The proposal then cleared the City Council’s Business, Housing & Zoning Committee and was sent on to the full council, as reported by KSTP. As the petition’s sponsor, Warren recused herself when the committee took up the item.
Why the name is being reconsidered
The push to strip Chávez’s name from public spaces intensified after a New York Times investigation in March detailed allegations that he groomed and sexually abused girls and assaulted women, spurring a wave of political and civic responses. Minnesota lawmakers moved to repeal César Chávez Day, and officials in St. Paul, along with local school leaders, began reviewing the use of Chávez’s name on a city street and a charter school, according to CBS Minnesota. Those broader moves set the backdrop for Minneapolis’s one-block decision.
Voices in the chamber
“We should, in any action possible, continue to stand with women, victims and survivors of all sorts of abuse and harm,” Council Member Aurin Chowdhury said during the committee discussion, a remark quoted by KSTP. The outlet also noted that the change would be largely symbolic for that particular block, since properties there do not use César Chávez Avenue in their mailing addresses. Supporters framed the move as part of a wider reckoning over who is elevated in public space and whose names get to stay on the map.
What happens next
The proposal has cleared the planning and committee stages and is now in line for a vote by the full City Council. The city’s public meeting calendar lists a May 21, 2026 council session where the item could appear, according to Documenters. City staff recommended approval of the change in their planning materials, per City of Minneapolis documents, and if the council signs off, staff will handle the follow-through on signage and internal city records. Officials say public feedback tied directly to the application has been limited so far.
The final vote will determine whether Fourth Avenue North officially returns to city maps, but even before that happens, Minneapolis has already joined a growing list of communities weighing the line between commemoration and accountability in the wake of the New York Times reporting.
