Copyright © 1999 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Saint Petersburg, FL - The American Indian Movement of Florida (Florida AIM) filed complaints today, August 30, with the United States Department of Justice Office of Civil Rights, United States Attorney's Office Middle District of Florida (Tampa), the Florida Commission on Human Rights and the City of Saint Petersburg. Citing the city, Tropicana Field and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays with violating civil rights and public accommodations regulations when they expelled two AIM members with tickets from the Cleveland v. Tampa Bay game on August 7, 1999.

The complaints center around the expulsion of Florida AIM Executive Director Sheridan Murphy and North Florida Director David Narcomey from the stadium on August 7, 1999 when both purchased tickets and unfurled a banner declaring that American Indians are Human Beings not a Sports mascot for America's Fun and Games. Tropicana Security demanded both men remove the banner because banners are not allowed inside Tropicana Field, which was inconsistent with the fact that numerous banners were being displayed throughout the stadium. Pinellas County Sheriffs Deputies, contracted for security for the stadium, escorted both Mr. Murphy and Mr. Narcomey out of Tropicana Field and informed them that they were asked to leave based on the fact that the banner declaring that Indian people are human beings was offensive to Tampa Bay Devil Rays owner Vincent Namoli and the Cleveland "Indians" fans.

Florida AIM believes that these actions unfairly singled out that offensiveness only matters if it offends non-Indians. If Tropicana Field and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays had been providing equal service and equal standards the Cleveland baseball team, which is highly offensive for its use of Indian people as a sports mascot, would have been expelled from the field as well. Instead, this tax supported facility owned by the City of Saint Petersburg clearly chose to side with that which offends Indian people and determined that a sign stating Indian peoples are human beings was offensive.

Florida AIM will review its options and may consider further legal action should it be viable.