U Of Minnesota Rally Asks For Redskins Name Change
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) - A group protesting the Washington Redskins team name says 5,000 people will rally outside TCF Bank Stadium this Sunday for the Vikings game.
The group says this will be the largest rally ever held on this topic throughout the country.
Kick-off is at 12 p.m. Sunday at the stadium, but the rally will start hours before.
The organizers said they want to make sure it's a peaceful protest, but there is still the issue of crowd control.
University of Minnesota Police say it is prepared to handle the extra crowds with back up resources from Minneapolis police if needed.
One concern is a possible disturbance to the light rail traveling along University Avenue.
As at any special event, Metro Transit said they have extra staff and police working, but nothing additional just because of the rally.
The group has held protests all over the nation, including one in the Twin Cities last year. Organizers say that one went peacefully.
"We asked them to bring the horses out," said David Glass of the National Coalition Against Racism In Sports And Media. Last time, a "little over 1,000 people [came] without incident. We expect same thing to happen this year, with over 5,ooo marchers."
The rally begins at 9 a.m. outside Northrup Auditorium, then people will march about a half mile to the stadium.
Twenty-five speakers are expected to address the crowd.
Only the team owner, Dan Snyder, can officially decide to change the team's name and he's never indicated he will do that.
But organizers say the protests will keep the pressure high. Snyder says this name is tradition and honors those of Native American heritage.
The group hopes that these protests might influence lawmakers and the NFL to up the pressure on Snyder to change the name.
Agency's ad takes aim at Redskins name
A Twin Cities advertising agency has created a TV and radio ad that it hopes will make a strong point about why Native Americans and others oppose the Washington Redskins' name and logo.
Opponents of the name believe it's a racial slur that mocks Native American culture. Red Circle agency owner Chad Germann is a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwa. The ad his agency created features a diverse group of people individually speaking a slur about their ethnicity. The racial slurs are bleeped out of the ad, until the face of an American Indian appears and speaks the Redskins name.
The ad was produced in association with the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media. The Vikings will play Washington in Minnesota Sunday when opponents are planning a large protest.