This bill designates the area of 16th Street, Northwest in Washington, D.C., between Fuller Street and Euclid Street as "Oswaldo Pay Way" and requires the city to erect signage reflecting this change.
Ted Cruz
Senator
TX
This bill designates the area of 16th Street, Northwest in Washington, D.C., between Fuller Street and Euclid Street as "Oswaldo Pay Way" in honor of the Cuban pro-democracy activist. It also redesignates the address of the Cuban embassy to 2630 Oswaldo Pay Way. The District of Columbia is required to install street signs reflecting this designation.
DC Street to Be Renamed 'Oswaldo Payá Way' Honoring Cuban Dissident: New Signs to Mark 16th Street Stretch
The US is renaming a chunk of 16th Street NW in Washington, D.C. to honor Oswaldo Payá, a Cuban political activist who fought for democratic freedoms in Cuba. This bill, straight up, designates the area between Fuller and Euclid Streets on 16th as "Oswaldo Payá Way." The Cuban embassy's address? It's officially changing to 2630 Oswaldo Payá Way.
Street Signs and Solidarity
The bill isn't just about a name change. It requires D.C. to put up new street signs—two of them, specifically—that will read "Oswaldo Payá Way" above the existing 16th Street signs. They're supposed to look like the signs you see at Metro stops, so think clean and clear. This section of the bill (SEC. 2) basically lays out the how and where of this street renaming.
Remembering Payá, Acknowledging the Struggle
This move is all about remembering Payá's work and showing support for Cubans fighting for their rights. The bill's first section lays out some serious findings. It points out that Cuba's been under communist rule for 64 years, with a lot of human rights issues. It highlights Payá's work promoting democracy, like the Varela Project in 1998, which pushed for freedom of speech and assembly (SEC. 1 Findings). The bill also directly calls out the Cuban government, saying they see pro-democracy folks as a threat and that Payá's death in a 2012 car crash is "widely believed to have been orchestrated by the Castro regime" (SEC. 1 Findings).
The Bigger Picture
While renaming a street might seem like a small thing, it's a clear message. The bill itself says this move shows "solidarity between the U.S. and Cuban people" in their fight for human rights (SEC. 1 Findings). It is important to note that the D.C. government will be responsible for putting up and maintaining the new street signs, which means they will incur the costs. It's also worth noting that while this bill honors Payá, it directly accuses the Cuban government of some heavy stuff, which could create some tension.