Bishop Says MAGA Youth Innocent - N. Phillips to Be Sued was the last diary, this is a follow up:
In response to the "independent" investigative report issued today by Greater Cincinnati Investigation, Inc., retained by Dressman, Benzinger, Lavelle (DBL LAW) on behalf of the Covington Diocese and Covington Catholic High School, Indigenous Peoples March and Native rights activist Nathan Phillips, says:
“I stand by my original observation that the situation seemed potentially dangerous and that I felt a spiritual call to sing between the two groups as a peacemaker. I ask everybody to remember what we all saw—students performing a culturally-appropriated ‘school chant’ and the tomahawk chop just feet away from me on that fateful day. That this racially insensitive behavior is still widely seen in America in 2019 does not make it okay—and, from my perspective, it was disrespectful, racially charged and harmful. I remain hopeful that we, as a nation, can all learn a better way to treat one another from this incident.”
As previously reported, Lakota People's Law Project Lead Counsel and Indigenous Peoples March organizer Chase Iron Eyes said “It’s unsurprising to us that an investigative team hired by a law firm at the behest of the school and diocese would fail to hold the students accountable for their behavior that day—or to hold the parents and guardians accountable for what they enabled.”
Since the media continues missing the point, I'll restate it. www.dailykos.com/...
White supremacy’s might makes right as The Catholic bishop of Covington, Kentucky, says an independent investigation “exonerates” students.
The Catholic bishop of Covington, Kentucky, says an independent investigation “exonerates” students from Covington Catholic High School who were at the center of a national firestorm when a video supposedly showed a confrontation between the students and Native Americans at the Lincoln Memorial.
Those students had been in Washington, D.C., in January for the March for Life, an annual anti-abortion demonstration, when they were captured on video apparently encircling Native American elder Nathan Phillips in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The video went viral on Twitter before eventually being removed.
A longer video later emerged showing the students shouting back and forth with a group of the Black Hebrew Israelites, a religious sect known for street preaching. A group of Native Americans eventually moved between both groups and into the crowd of students.
Furthermore, Covington Catholic Teen's Lawyers Intend to Sue Native American Activist Nathan Phillips.
Ohio Christian Alliance (OCA), one of several pro-life groups that called on federal law enforcement agencies to investigate threats of violence against the students, confirmed that the Covington FBI office was involved.
“OCA President Chris Long received a call from the Special Agent working in the Covington FBI office, confirming that the office was in receipt of our letter and confirmed that the FBI was working with local law enforcement to investigate the threats that were made against the school and its students,” Cleveland Right to Life stated in a press release February 8. “The indication was that charges will be filed in the coming weeks, if not days, against those who made threats against the students, their families, and Covington Catholic High School.”
- snip -
Wood and Sandmann family attorney Todd McMurtry announced earlier this month that they sent preservation letters to over 50 media outlets, individual journalists, celebrities, and several Catholic dioceses as the first step in potential libel and defamation lawsuits.
The death threats are inexcusable, and those who resorted to that, don’t get Democracy — living in a civil society.
Phillips told Indian Country Today he admitted that he didn't really realize what he had gotten into until he was in the middle of it.
He said, “What am I doing?” You know? But this is the commitment when I picked up the pipe 27 years ago. It's for the next generation. It’s when that moment comes and you got to stand your ground. That commitment that you made to either fulfill that or you don't. I mean, I was scared and I didn't want to. I really, I really didn't want to, but nobody else was.”
To reiterate, the minimized tomahawk chop is seen above. However, it shouldn't be minimized (bold mine).
Asserting Cultural Sovereignty
Digital History ID 731
Author: Wisconsin Indian Education Association
Date:1992
Annotation: A casual contempt toward Native Americans pervades American popular culture. Many of our professional sports teams take their nicknames from Native Americans. Thus alongside the names of “wild” animals--such as the Bears, Cougars, Lions, and Tigers--we have the Atlanta Braves, the Cleveland Indians, the Golden State Warriors, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Washington Redskins.
Racist contempt is not restricted to team names. It can also be seen in such “rituals” as the “tomahawk chop” or demeaning dances, or the offensive use of feathers, face painting, drums, and war whoops. Ethnic slurs that would be unthinkable if directed at other groups are sometimes defended as a way to “honor” our Indian heritage. Many non-Indians seem oblivious to the insidious impact of such offensive practices. They help perpetuate inaccurate stereotypes about Native American cultures. They demean Native American peoples' sacred objects, ceremonial traditions, and components of traditional dress. They mock Native American religious practices.