Venice, Florida Students Create a New Indian Mascot

[White Horse]

I have been trying to get this story published but the press is un-sympathetic to American Indians, so I am posting it here so you can see whats going on in Florida.

Venice, Florida High School Students create a new Indian mascot

   For over 18 months the American Indian Movement - Florida has been trying to get the Venice, Florida Elementary and High Schools to change their offensive "Indian" mascot.  I am an American Indian and this is a slap in my face that they are reducing me, my family, every American Indian into a stereotypical caricature. American Indian's live and attend schools in Sarasota County and the Sarasota School Board is on board with keeping the Racists mascot.  Brigette Zeigler a Sarasota County School Board member, ran on the platform that if re-elected she would insure the Indian mascot would stay.  Apparently the students felt that since the American Indian Movement – Florida was trying to change the mascot the students decided to create their own Indian mascot.  This new "Enraged Indian" mascot Venice high now has is a complete creation from Venice Students. They are using school property (equipment room) to sell the offensive shirts and keeping the profits.  After meeting with Venice, Florida Principal Jack Turgeon no apology was offered, I pointed out the original Indian mascot picture as not being an accurate drawing of an American Indians face let alone any human face. Mr. Turgeon then started to justify the use of the Indian mascot and what the students do with raising and lowering their hands at the elbow, yelling and chants as a school tradition.  I tried to explain that American Indians have our own traditions that have been in place for thousands of years and we do not need any schools inventing new traditions.  Finally the Sarasota County School Board of Florida refuses to place the Indian mascot issue on the agenda and vote to keep or change the school mascots and the local paper (Sarasota Herald Tribune) has run a story favoring the new Enraged Indian mascot and refused to run any stories and/or letter to the editor against the Indian mascots.  I have attached some links for you to view.  You will have to scroll down to see the shirts being offered for sale at the school equipment room and if you wear the shirt you get a free hotdog.       

Local newspaper promoting the new mascot. 

 http://preps.heraldtribune.com/2015/10/22/prepped-these-fans-bleed-venice-green/

Enraged Indian Twitter account
https://twitter.com/Enraged_Indians

This following Twitter account is PURE Racism!
https://twitter.com/LittleInjun1

This Twitter feed is telling students where to buy Enraged Indian shirts at school
https://twitter.com/veniceindianfb/status/652529428887662593

This Twitter Feed tells the students they get FREE Hot dogs for wearing their Enraged Indian shirt and to buy them at lunch
https://twitter.com/VeniceIndianFB/status/659166580048269312

or this Twitter Feed  from Official Venice, Florida Indian Football, you have to scroll down a little bit to see the post about FREE Hot dogs.
https://twitter.com/VeniceIndianFB/status/659166580048269312

Sal   “White Horse”  Serbin 
Email:  floridaaim@gmail.com
Assiniboine/Sioux from Fort Peck Reservation
Executive Director American Indian Movement - Florida
 

[White Horse]

If anyone here has any connections with any News agencies? Could you pass this story on to them? The local media is supporting the schools 2 Indian mascots and refuses to run any stories against the Indian mascots. Racial Inequality and racial Bias are big news stories with the Black lives matter crowd and they are getting media attention, but when this is directed at American Indians we get nothing but people arguing tradition gives them the right to be Racists.

[milehighsalute]

just saw this sal........if anything i can stir up a shitstorm on FB