‘Was my friend': Dallas civil rights activist reacts to Cesar Chavez allegations

A reverend and longtime Dallas civil rights leader said he 'knew Chavez well' amid new allegations.

Peter Johnson watched the news from his civil rights office in Downtown Dallas on Wednesday, captivated by unexpected news about a friend who passed away decades ago.

"I got pictures of me and Cesar somewhere," Johnson said.

Johnson, a reverend and longtime civil rights activist in Dallas, said he knew Cesar Chavez well. He told NBC 5 he and Chavez met in the 60's, as Chavez gained notoriety as a leader in the Farmer Civil Rights movement.

Learning of new allegations published in a New York Times investigation on Wednesday troubled him. The Times reported that Chavez is accused of abusing young girls and women.

"I don't think you can rationalize evil and bad behavior, but some of the worst… I've known had a decent side and a good side," Johnson said. "The Cesar Chavez that I knew, was a very dignified, strong man, committed to changing the lives and the destiny of people who worked in fields...he was my friend."

Chavez's character now in question. One of his alleged victims is revered civil right's Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the Farm Workers Association alongside him.

"I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for," Huerta said in a statement.

Chavez, a deeply respected public figure, has streets named after him around the country, including in North Texas. In Dallas' Deep Ellum Neighborhood, there is a mural of him, as there are many other places.

Now, communities are calling for accountability. Governor Gregg Abbott is calling on all state agencies to no longer recognize the upcoming Cesar Chavez holiday.

Latino civil rights group, Somos Tejas, has canceled its upcoming event, as have countless other organizations in multiple cities.

"As somebody who worked tirelessly to rename a street to Cesar Chavez, and then thereafter helped lead two parades, it was heartbreaking for somebody who lived my life and efforts to continue his legacy and then be betrayed by a legacy," Ramiro Luna with Somos Tejas said.

Through all the disappointment, Johnson hopes the impact of the civil rights movement lasts.

"I have no right to make decisions about somebody's character," Johnson said. "The Farm Worker's Union changed the lives of the families."