By Jake Stark
Murphy News Service

Thousands of protesters gathered outside of the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium this morning in one of the largest protests against the Washington Redskins team nickname in years. 

Native Americans, students, politicians and other activists met at Northrop Plaza at 10 a.m. before marching down to stadium to the sound of drums, chants and Indian prayers.

Many marchers carried signs that read, “I’m Not a Mascot” and “Be Human.” Participants also wore T-shirts that simply read, “RENAME.”

Organizers estimated the crowd at 5,000 people, but Minneapolis police reported an estimate closer to 3,500. 

Protesters split after arriving at the stadium into two large groups at separate corners of the facility. Organizers invited participants to come forward to lead chants and say a few words about their thoughts on the Redskins name.

Several notable people addressed protesters outside the stadium and called for the team to change its name, including American Indian leader Clyde Bellecourt, American Indian activist and environmentalist Winona LaDuke, former Vikings star Joey Browner, U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, civil rights activist Spike Moss, former Gov. Jesse Ventura and Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, among others.

J.R. Bobick, an organizer from St. Paul, introduced several speakers and kept the crowd energized with chants such as “Hey-hey, ho-ho, this racist name has got to go!

“Redskin means the scalp of a Native American, it’s derogatory,” Bobick said. “It’s just as bad as the n-word.”

Bobick and other protesters hope the rally will help people understand the offensive nature of the nickname.

“I understand that a lot of people don’t understand this issue, but they need to realize that the term “redskin” is not an honor,” he said.

Mic Jordan, an activist and rapper from the Twin Cities, joined the rally about an hour before the game’s noon kickoff.

Jordan, who is part Native American, led participants in a chant of “Change the name” before performing several songs about racism and Native American culture.

“This is just a little piece of the puzzle we’re trying to put together here,” he said. “If you grab people by the heart, they’ll start to realize it hurts people, Native Americans in particular.”

The rally marked the third time a major protest has occurred when the Redskins have come to Minneapolis. About 3,000 protesters demonstrated in 1992 outside of the Metrodome when Washington played the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI. Nearly 7,000 protesters demonstrated outside of the Metrodome when the Washington played the Vikings in Minneapolis last November.

Increasingly more Native American groups and anti-Redskin-name activists have spoken out against the nickname over the past year, intensifying the debate surrounding the nickname.

Throughout the clamor Washington team owner Daniel Snyder has said he considers the nickname honorable and has said he will not change it.

Most fans were respectful of the protesters, but several dismissed the rally as they made their way into the stadium, where the Vikings later defeated Washington 29-26.

Scott Cross, a Redskins fan from Minneapolis, said he couldn’t see the protests changing anything. Cross said he doesn’t care what his favorite team’s nickname is, but he added that he thinks Snyder is too stubborn to change the name

“It’s tradition and Snyder grew up a fan of the team,” Cross said. “As long as he’s the owner, it’ll never change.”

Mark Bergan, a Vikings fan from St. Paul, agreed with Cross. He said he thinks protesters have overreacted to the issue, saying Redskins is “just a name” and not important enough of an issue to change the name.

“For Native Americans it’s derogatory, but for others it’s not,” he said. “It’s point of view.”

Some of the protesters were more positive about the future of the nickname. Jordan anticipates the team will change the name soon.

“I’m giving three years and it’s gone,” he said. “Things like this [rally] are going to make it happen, sooner rather than later.”

Reporter Jake Stark is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.