Soto relieves tension at Chavez debate, momentarily

In the middle of an intense debate at City Hall on Thursday over whether to rename Interstate Avenue after the Latino activist Cesar E. Chavez, it was Rudy Soto, PSU student body president, who eased the tension.

Commissioner Randy Leonard asked Soto whether he thought renaming Fourth Avenue, instead of Interstate Avenue, after Chavez was a good idea. Soto suggested the city rename Portland State University Cesar Chavez University instead. The room erupted in laughter and, at least momentarily, the tension ebbed.

“It was really awesome,” Soto said. “It ended on a good note.”

Soto was at the meeting, not as a representative of PSU, but as a concerned citizen who has roots in both Native American and Latino communities.

“I went there to give testimony. I support the proposal,” Soto said. “This isn’t something that exec. staff or ASPSU endorsed. I felt I could help relieve some of that racial tension. I’m young. I’m part of the city. If I’m going to be here in the future and deal with the effects, the least I could do was voice my opinion.”

The idea to rename Interstate Avenue developed over the summer and has been a topic of heated debate since.

Soto said the room was so tense when he arrived that he didn’t want to go in, especially when both sides were parading witnesses to give testimony. Instead of reading his prepared statement, Soto said he tried to appeal to both sides about the need for the decision.

“I was impacted by the divisiveness. Both sides need to feel validated and respected,” Soto said. He added that he’s glad the conflict started because it has sparked debate and allowed both sides to air their emotions and opinions.

“Hopefully people will see that this is a really important decision,” Soto said.

As of Thursday, no decision has been reached, but the city council is now looking at renaming Fourth Avenue instead of Interstate Avenue after Chavez.