Saturday, February 1, 2014

Vandals Deface Cesar E. Chavez United Farm Worker's Symbolic Trademark

United Farm Worker's trademark vandalized with graffiti. 

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 1, 2014

Milwaukee,  WI - No one has come forward to take credit for vandalizing and defacing what resembles the Cesar E. Chavez United Farm Workers (UFW) trademark at the 1600 S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive, a private property. The trademark has been confused as a symbol for shinheads or neo-nazi groups in Milwaukee's South side, according to several residents in the area who didn't know it was the Chavez's symbolic trademark used in the late 1960's and 1970's during the boycott grapes campaign by the UFW movement.
Other residents in the area say, the UFW symbol was vandalized by a local gang or anti-immigrant sympathizers because the UFW has been campaigning for immigration reform and a pathway for undocumented immigrants to become U.S. citizens.
Wisconsin became an anti-immigrant state when the State Assembly passed legislation to prevent undocumented immigrants from applying for driver licenses under former Democratic Governor Jim Doyle. Recently, the Republican control legislature also passed legislation included in the state budget to revoke in-state tuition for DREAMers in Wisconsin under Governor Scott Walker (R).
Last week, 8th District State Representative JoCasta Zamarripa (D) who represents a large portion of Milwaukee's South side Hispanic community announced that she plans to introduce three bills to reinstate in-state tuition for DREAMers, another for undocumented immigrants to be allowed to apply for driver licenses and one for a state holiday honoring Chavez. 

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