[Peace-discuss] quick report from the anti-racist mascot demonstration Saturday October 23, 2010

Sun Oct 24 11:47:43 CDT 2010

Thanks Karen, sounds like deju vu all over again. Not sure what you all hoped for, or what you felt was gained by yr presence?
Any report on Friday's rally for choosing a new mascot? or an update on the issue in general?? We've already won "Chief" as Mascot, NOT... so imho, we should ignore all future post-mortem flashbacks and stop beating that dead horse (sorry, equinophiles). Those still wanting to bask in that victory could support the movement to find a new, non-racist mascot, an issue that's still viable. As I said, jmho. --Jenifer
--- On Sun, 10/24/10, Karen Medina <kmedina67 at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Karen Medina <kmedina67 at gmail.com>
Subject: [Peace-discuss] quick report from the anti-racist mascot demonstration Saturday October 23, 2010
To: "Peace-discuss List" <Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
Date: Sunday, October 24, 2010, 8:30 AM

I had the pleasure of "working security" for the demonstration against
the racist mascot and thought you might like a quick report of the
event.

Approximately 4 police officers watched as we gathered at the Foreign
Language Building at 4:30 for the walk over to the Assembly Hall.  A
handful of Native Americans were part of our group. It was early en
route when we first encountered people wearing pro-chief shirts. We
engaged and we began chanting.

We were running late, so the pace was a bit fast for the Elders to
keep up.  As the group divided, I (as a security person) stayed back
with the Elders.  I was also carrying the signs -- they were not
heavy, but it meant that the signs were late arriving.

At the Assembly Hall, we gathered between the ticket office and the
west entrance to the building. There was "freedom of speech" tape on
the ground marking where we were allowed to be.

Hired security and police were there in addition to many police
officers. They faced us the entire time even though the pro-chief
people out-numbered us hundreds of times over. Many of the mascot
supporters were drunk. Some were angry. Few ignored us. Many people
lined up on the walkway above us and gave us the finger, glared in our
direction, and/or yelled "CHIEF, CHIEF" in deep voices.

The hired security person near me (I stayed near the Elders) was
pretty good for the most part. We talked about freedom of speech.
However, he dropped his guard when friends of his were in the crowd.
One of his friends  actually threatened one of us. The security guy
did not notice this. But once told about it, he apologized and
realized that he needed to do his job even with people he thought he
could trust.

One of the Native Americans donned a costume. I think he looked very
much like a Catholic Bishop. He had a pointed white hat and a rosary
around his neck with a large cross. I think his message was that
mascots were rarely people, unless they were stereotyping and making
fun of them. He spent a lot of time blessing people. And people
sometimes even said "thank you."

One man, a grandfather of a U of I student, was staring at us for a
long time. And was getting too close for comfort. I went and stood
between him and the demonstrators. He was very close to me, face to
face. I began a conversation because I was uncomfortable being so
close and he was trying to intimidate, not menacingly (he wasn't big
enough or young enough to be menacing). Let me share a little of what
I learned about him.

He had been in the Army during Korea. He thought we, the
demonstrators, were stupid and had not experienced life. Two years in
the military would do us all a lot of good -- we would learn to make
our beds and other important life skills. The United States should
have stayed in Korea and beat their ... His grandson is currently a
sophomore in computer science. I asked why he was not in the military
and the answer was that there was not a draft. If there were, he'd be
there. Grandpa was from New Mexico and owned a business that employed
"Indians". He told me that the demonstrators did not know the issues
of the Indians -- though the closest people behind me were all Native
Americans -- he was staring at the long line of young people to my
right as if they were the scum of the earth.

He had been to China and to Russia. "China is going to take over the
world" -- the U.S. should attack them now. And the U.S. has a lot to
fear from the Russians. I asked if he spoke Russian. He ignored me. I
asked if serving in the Peace Corps would be good experience and at
first he said yes. He talked a lot about "survival of the fittest" and
I asked if he meant survival of the biggest most populace. China is
going to gain more power than the U.S. and start making us do things.
Evidently the U.S. forcing others to do our will is fine and good.

At one point, as he was saying how powerful he was having been in the
military, I said that I had lived alone and isolated in a poverty
stricken area where English was not spoken and I lived there without a
gun. Which one of us was the wimp?

I never did find out why his grandson was not with him. He was there
because of his grandson.

After awhile, Diane, one of the Elders, decided it was time to take
the pipe and walk it around the building 7 times. She talked to the
security and told them her intensions and her fear of the crowd. I
told her I would go with her.

Nobody bothered us except one young man who got really really close
and was filming us with his cell phone. Diane asked if he had taken a
picture of her. He did not answer but stayed firmly in his place. I
got between them (hard to do because he was very close) and asked him
to respond to her question. He had earbuds in both ears. He did back
up. I asked if he was intentionally trying to be isolated by having
the earbuds in. But I thought something was very odd so I did not get
any closer. After awhile, he signed the word "d-e-a-f". Ah, no wonder
he was not answering her question. A police officer came over. We were
trying to communicate by then. The young man was still filming us,
hand with cell phone held straight in front of him. We walked on.

On the east side of the building, a girl was lying on the cement. Her
mother was with her. They had been inside and it was too hot. The girl
(probably 19) had felt ill and they had come outside to get some air.
An assembly hall staff person was holding the door open for them to
come back in, but the girl was really not looking like she was going
to get up. We offered water. They had some already. We walked on.

We saw a wood chuck walk up a little hill and then duck under the
cement walkway surrounding the Assembly Hall. There were no people on
one whole side of the building. It was kind of weird in an unbalanced
way.

Diane and I made it around the building 3 times before the
demonstrators were done and headed over to the Unity Party at the ARC.
We were going to continue, but it was getting to get dark and the
other Native Americans were also going to the ARC, so we joined them.
So we left too.

Anyway, I thought I would share my experience of the anti-chief
demonstration with you.

Peace,
Karen Medina
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