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TAMPA, FL - The American Indian Movement of Florida (Florida AIM) will hold a demonstration January 15, 1999 beginning at 2:30 PM of the Washington Redskins use of American Indian peoples as a sports mascot between Gates C and D of Raymond James Stadium on Tampa Bay Boulevard in Tampa, FL.

In America today there is no team called the Blackskins, no team called the Negros, or Crackers, or Yellowskins,. But there remains the Redskins.

The terms origins give a hint as to the racist use of Indian peoples as a sports charm for a team. On November 3rd, 1755 Sir J Willard of the Massachusetts Bay Colony proclaimed that 40 British Pounds would be paid to anyone who brought in the Red skins of an adult male, 20 pounds for the red skins of an adult female or a child. It is this sick, twisted legacy of a hate crime that is continually being supported, glorified and perpetrated by the players, fans and owners of the Washington NFL franchise.

Imagine the Washington Negroes whose mascot picked cotton and was a Caucasian dressed and acting like Amos & Andy or the Washington Wetbacks whose mascot acted like the Frito Bandito would not be tolerated as a decent way to be. Nor would the Washington Catholics in which the mascot pope did the lambada with a cheer leading nun while tossing communion wafers on the field as the fans did a rousing rendition of the Crucifix chop. But Indigenous cultural and spiritual symbols are routinely degraded. A May 27, 1998 United States Patent Court found that the teams use of Indian people as a sports mascot was “disparaging” and “May bring (Indians) into contempt and ridicule.”

Florida AIM calls upon all Human Beings to work with Florida AIM to halt this permissible hate crime from continuing in America by joining us on January 15th and supporting our litigation efforts to halt this sick twisted legacy of America’s past from affecting its future.