AUSTIN, Minn. – If you’re going to the Twin Cities for tomorrow’s Vikings game against the Washington Redskins, you’ll likely see a lot more than just football.
That’s because a protest is planned by opponents of the Redskins’ team name.
Organizers say they’re expecting as many as 5,000 American Indians from across the country to take part in the demonstration Sunday outside of TCF Bank Stadium.
Opponents of the name believe it’s a racial slur that mocks Native American culture and they want the team to change it.
We spoke with a local political analyst who says the effort to change the name should just be a starting point to much bigger issues that the American Indian community face.
“As a society, what I think is a problem when we’re worried more about offending people than what their actual living conditions are and when activism replaces actions, that’s when I think there’s a case for concern about us as a society and how we’re helping,” says Dr. Eric Shoars.
A spokesperson for the redskins says the team is coming to Minnesota to win a football game, and isn’t concerned with politics.
