Thread: TX: Rename Dallas N. Tollway after Caesar Chavez??

I was outraged when I heard this on the noon Channel 8 broadcast. Hispandering at it's worst. We have sooo many Texas heroes that we can re-name our freeways after that we don't need one named after Caesar Chavez.

And I guess I've never heard of that particular area being called "Little Mexico" before, but that is DEFINITELY what it has turned into. You drive down Northwest Highway near Love Field Airport and it's all Latino businesses, Spanish signs, and new banks with big signs out front saying they take matricular ID cards. You feel like you're in another country for a couple of miles. The area used to be full of strip clubs and bars, but once they were run off, the Latino business came in and overtook the area. No improvement of the area in my mind (actually, a co-worker of mine was murdered in the parking lot of one of those strip clubs around 5 years ago). It's still a bad area of town to drive through.

Luckily I found an article on the subject. Read away.

TexasGal


http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... c683a.html


Neil Emmons: Rename the Dallas North Tollway after César Chávez

07:54 PM CDT on Sunday, August 17, 2008

In Dallas' quest to name some roadway -- Industrial Boulevard, Ross Avenue, Live Oak Street -- after César Chávez, City Plan Commissioner Neil Emmons offers another idea altogether:

Name the Dallas North Tollway after the late labor leader.

"It makes perfect sense to me," Mr. Emmons told the Dallas City Hall Blog on Sunday.

To read why he thinks so, click on the jump, where Mr. Emmons, an appointee of District 14 City Council member Angela Hunt, explains his rationale:

If Ross Avenue is not renamed, I have been wondering why the Dallas North Tollway, which goes right through the heart of Little Mexico, and near to St. Ann's School and Luna Tortilla Factory (I think) -- the two major designated Hispanic Dallas landmarks -- should not be renamed César Chávez Tollway?

This would be a far more important presence. AND it was this tollway that basically wiped out the important and well-established early community and caused it to relocate.

This could be accomplished easily I would think with the turnpike authority, and would commemorate the physical location and beginnings of the strong Hispanic business community in Dallas, and this early history.

There is a precedent to naming a toll road in the naming of George Bush toll road.

Dallas North Tollway is not a historic name -- it was built on the tracks of the Cotton Belt Railroad.

I believe that a major street (more akin to Industrial Boulevard, which is six-lane divided) or a major highway or a toll road would be a fitting tribute.

With the growing number of toll roads around the area, giving them each a name for ease of location is an important step in making them more easily locatable for new users.

Most people do not even know the name of the Dallas North Tollway (indeed I am not certain I even have it correct here.) But it is no longer "the tollroad" as so many folks call it -- and to continue to call it this as additional toll roads are added causes confusion.

This road is many miles long. It has multiple direction markers located all along its length which could carry the César Chávez name on them.

It would be a major presence and also name a road that essentially has no real name today.

Neil Emmons
Dallas City Plan Commission, District 14

I really don't think anything in Dallas should be named Caesar Chavez because I doubt that he has ever even set foot in Dallas.

The Chavez supporters are trying to exhalt him to the level of Martin Luther King.

Where is George Washington, Abraham Lincoln or John F. Kennedy highway, street, road, avenue... in Dallas?

Dixie

My thoughts exactly. We already have LBJ freeway, why can't we have JFK freeway? Where he was assasinated is right by the beginning of the Dallas North Tollroad. Much more appropriate than the Tollroad running next to "Little Mexico," and calling it Caesar Chavez freeway.

Chavez is a hero in California, and it's ok for Californians to name something after him. But NOT in Dallas or any other Texas freeway.

We need to start writing some letters to nip this in the bud!!

TexasGal

What a great idea ! There are plenty of tollways and highways, known as smuggling corridors, that need new names.

How about the ELVIRA EXPRESSWAY, or ILLEGAL INTERNATIONAL HIGHWAY. We need to rename Bush Intercontinental Airport, in Houston. Maybe the North American Union Intercontental Airport?

Oh and lets think up a GOOD name for the Trans Texas Corridor that was recently stalled, but not killed. The Mexican Reconquista Expressway, perhaps?

Originally Posted by TexasGal

My thoughts exactly. We already have LBJ freeway, why can't we have JFK freeway? Where he was assasinated is right by the beginning of the Dallas North Tollroad. Much more appropriate than the Tollroad running next to "Little Mexico," and calling it Caesar Chavez freeway.

Chavez is a hero in California, and it's ok for Californians to name something after him. But NOT in Dallas or any other Texas freeway.

We need to start writing some letters to nip this in the bud!!

TexasGal

Careful! Chavez is no more a "hero" to the legal residents of California, anymore than he is to the legal residents of Texas!

Besides..the traitors in LA city government have already named an obligatory street after chavez, and a school, and probably a host of other things...

i just got off the phone and left my message saying no name change.
and i said that luna's was not near the tollway it was on woodall rogers frontage road and now on harry hines. no where close to the tollway

How about the "Cesar Chavez Border Fence"? After all UFW members led by Cesar Chavez's brother used to beat up illegal aliens crossing into the USA, since illegals were driving down their wages.

Thats what they wanted to rename McArther Park in LA and just last week they wanted to rename a street in Portland Oregon after him....he must be their only so called hero and he did not believe in illegal immigration...we worked for legal farm workers not illegal.

This all came about because of the proposed name change for Industrial Boulevard, which will be one of the primary arteries along the new Trinity Park development in Dallas. The Dallas City Council made the mistake of opening the re-naming of Industrial Blvd. to suggestions by the public and allowing an internet vote. 53% of the votes cast wanted to re-name Industrial Blvd. "Ceasar Chavez Boulevard". This caught the City Council entirely by surprise, and it was decided that Industrial would not be renamed for a person, but rather "Riverfront" to reflect its position in the new Trinity River project. However, having gotten their feet in the door, the vocal Hispanic community which soon will have a population majority in Dallas will not rest until the City Council gives them a major street re-named for Chavez.

Neil Emmons: Rename the Dallas North Tollway after César Chávez

NO WAY! There are many American heros that we can name that road after. Why should it be named after Cesar Chavez?! This kind of thing really makes me mad.