Petition to rename Buffalo, N.Y., used as critique of Redskins controversy

For the record, Mark Beasley doesn’t really want the city of Buffalo to change its name. But his petition isn’t exactly a joke either.

It turns out Mr. Beasley is both an American Indian and a supporter of Indian-related team names such as the Washington Redskins. To him, it makes as much sense to eliminate the name “Redskins” as it does to wipe out the name “Buffalo.”

Hence his petition, which makes the argument in the spirit of reductio ad absurdum that the word “buffalo” is offensive to American Indians.

“Buffalo is the name of the animal that was driven almost to extinction by the non-Native forces in order to annihilate and drive out my ancestors from the American landscape,” says the petition on change.org.

Mr. Beasley says he decided to launch the petition, which calls for the city of Buffalo and The Buffalo News to drop the “b-word” after learning of a drive to eliminate the Redskins as the team nickname and mascot of Lancaster (New York) High School.

The town of Lancaster is located about 15 miles from Buffalo, and The Buffalo News has run a number of articles on the issue, including at least one column and op-ed in support of changing the nickname.

“It’s bad enough that the owner of Washington’s NFL team stubbornly clings to a racially offensive nickname,” said Buffalo News columnist Donn Esmonde in a Feb. 28 article. “It’s worse, to my mind, when an educational institution hoists the same banner. What’s the lesson — that offensive stereotypes are OK? That prejudice is not just condoned, but promoted?”

To Mr. Beasley, however, the name “Redskins” isn’t offensive but rather a source of pride.

“I give my support to all the teams that use Native American imagery. I don’t think we should eliminate those images. I think we should embrace them,” he said.

Not everyone has picked up on his point. The petition triggered stories last week from several Buffalo television stations along with a number of conservative websites that mocked the proposal as an example of liberal overreach.

The website Downtrend tried to clear up the confusion Saturday with a post headlined, “The Joke Everyone Fell For: Navajos Demand Buffalo, NY, Change Its ’Racist Name.’”

That’s not quite it either, says Dan Quigley of Phoenix, who’s working with Mr. Beasley on the issue. The petition isn’t intended to be funny, but rather to draw attention to what they see as the absurdity of the debate over Indian nicknames.

“It’s a question of what the limits would be if every symbol can be tied to somebody’s offense of the atrocities suffered by Native Americans,” Mr. Quigley said in an email. “We also believe that most Native Americans find an immense sense of pride in the tributes names like Redskins give to them.”

A 25-year-old member of the Navajo Nation, Mr. Beasley has been active on the pro-Redskins front. He appears in a YouTube video posted by Redskins Facts along with other American Indians who support keeping the Redskins name. Even though he lives in Phoenix, he says there are many local American Indians who root for the Redskins.

When visiting his family and friends in Window Rock, Arizona, the capital of the Navajo Nation, “all I see is Redskins emblems.”

“I go to swap meets, and I see so many Redskins shirts and hats. I have members coming up to me saying, ’I saw you in the Redskins video, and we stand behind you. You’ve got a long fight to go — stay strong,’” Mr. Beasley said.

The anti-Buffalo petition has garnered 222 signatures, as well as a host of comments blasting the idea.

“This is the stupidest petition. Get a life Mark Beasley!” says one comment.

The petition was also criticized by Michael Martin, the executive director of Native American Community Services for Erie and Niagara Counties, who told TWC News in Buffalo that the name-change drive was clearly linked to the Lancaster debate.

“It’s been supported by supporters of keeping the name in Lancaster, and they’re trying to make a mockery and belittle the real issue of what’s going on, which is just another way of hurting us,” Mr. Martin said.

The Lancaster School District is not expected to make a decision on the nickname until after the 2015-16 academic year, according to The Buffalo News. In the meantime, the lacrosse teams at two neighboring high schools have canceled games against Lancaster High School over the nickname.

Mr. Beasley says those criticizing teams like the one in Lancaster are just wrong that a nickname can be a denigration.

“You’re not going to name the team, you know, the ’Arizona We Suck’ or the ’Arizona Idiots’ or something,” Mr. Beasley said. “You’re going to stand behind something proud.”