Copyright © 2001 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

SAINT PETERSBURG, FL - The American Indian Movement of Florida (AIMFL) after working unsuccessfully for the dialogue of cooperation with the organizers of the Chasco Fiesta now has no choice but to take action to force change within the racist festival.

AT 9:30 A.M. Monday March 12, 2001 AIM Florida will hold a press conference at the AIMFL State Office-136 4th Street N Suite 308 Saint Petersburg, FL 33701 to announce our final position and which events AIM of Florida will protest at the Chasco Fiesta. A similar press conference will be held at 2:00 PM at Sims Park in New Port Richey. Attendants will include Florida AIM Executive Director Sheridan Murphy, Information Director Mark Madrid, Pasco Director Ruby Beaulieu, North Florida Director David Narcomey, Pasco Support Group Coordinator Shea Sandy and Field Director Jennifer Tweedy.

Can you imagine a "Sambo Festival" in which the key African American character joins with the slave traders and is hailed as a hero because she abandoned the less human African culture for that of the dominant society? Or a "Holocaust Festival" in which a Jewish girl joins with the Nazi's emphasizing the good of the NAZI regime and showing how bad Jewish culture is? Probably not. But this is exactly the premise of New Port Richey and the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce's Chasco Fiesta.

The festival celebration is based on former New Port Richey Postmaster Gerben Devries racist novella in which the mythical Queen Chasco (FYI: Indigenous societies were not based on European Monarchies) of the Calusa (a people wiped out in genocidal attacks by the Spanish) abandons her people, and eschews the ways of her people for the "better" way of the dominant society. Terms such as "heathens", "savages", "brutes" and the "people who betrayed Christ" are used to refer to Indigenous peoples, culture and spirituality. In this mythical portrayal the Chasco Fiesta celebrates the genocide of the Calusa, for after all, they are just heathens and savages, and dehumanizes and devalues traditional Indigenous spirituality and cultural practices while glorifying the values of colonialism of the dominant society.

AIM of Florida can, and will no longer tolerate this disgraceful, and offensive celebration of genocide and assimilation. AIMFL will now use any means necessary to bring a halt to this festival's pageant and parade. We ask all our supporters to continue to urge an international tourist boycott of Pasco County (New Port Richey), to continue to contact the sponsors of this festival and urge them to withdraw sponsorship.