Thursday, September 27, 2012

Cherokee Chief Says Scott Brown and his Staff are Racist


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WCVB Boston - Scott Brown Staffers Make Indian War Whoops
In a video posted on YouTube, Brown's staffers are seen holding campaign signs near the Erie Pub, chanting and making tomahawk chops, presumably in reference to Elizabeth Warren's claims of Cherokee heritage.

Brown's Deputy Chief of Staff Greg Casey and Constituent Service Counsel Jack Richard, State Director Jerry McDermott, special assistant Jennifer Franks and GOP operative Brad Garrett are pictured in the video, NewsCenter 5's Janet Wu confirmed.

"It is certainly something that I don't condone," said Brown when asked about the video. "The real offense is that (Warren) said she was white and then checked the box saying she is Native American, and then she changed her profile in the law directory once she made her tenure."


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Full Statement from Bill John Baker, Chief of the Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is disappointed in and denounces the disrespectful actions of staffers and supporters of Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown. The conduct of these individuals goes far beyond what is appropriate and proper in political discourse. The use of stereotypical “war whoop chants” and “tomahawk chops” are offensive and downright racist. It is those types of actions that perpetuate negative stereotypes and continue to minimize and degrade all native peoples.

The individuals involved in this unfortunate incident are high ranking staffers in both the senate office and the Brown campaign. A campaign that would allow and condone such offensive and racist behavior must be called to task for their actions.

The Cherokee Nation is a modern, productive society, and I am blessed to be their chief. I will not be silent when individuals mock and insult our people and our great nation.

We need individuals in the United States Senate who respect Native Americans and have an understanding of tribal issues. For that reason, I call upon Sen. Brown to apologize for the offensive actions of his staff and their uneducated, unenlightened and racist portrayal of native peoples.

The implication is that Warren is "faking" Native American heritage....How dare Elizabeth Warren call herself "Native American." What a scam! Turns out, Elizabeth Warren is Native American. She's from Oklahoma. She's 1/32 Cherokee. She appears to be exactly as Cherokee as the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Bill John Baker. Elizabeth Warren is exactly as Cherokee as the guy who heads the Cherokee Nation. And actually because she may have ancestry from the Delaware Tribe as well, it is conceivable that she has even more Native ancestry than he does.
~ Rachel Maddow on her show for May 10, 2012

Scott Brown to be clear has never disproven that Elizabeth Warren has Native American ancestry. Right? I mean it's not like anybody has produced any evidence to say that she is not Native American. The whole basis for the Brown campaign making fun of Indian people, the whole basis for this making fun of Native American people by Scott Brown and by his campaign is that he says he can tell by looking at her that she is way too 'white looking' to really be Cherokee or any other Native American ancestry.
. . . But look on your screen at Bill John Baker, Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
~ Rachel Maddow on her show for Thursday, September 26, 2012

Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren (D) did not rely upon affirmative action to get teaching work at universities around the country, documents obtained by several media outlets revealed on Thursday.
In separate reports, The Associated Press and The Boston Globe both noted that Warren did not claim minority status at the University of Texas, where she taught law before moving to Harvard, writing on a personnel form that she identified as “White.” She also declined to apply to Rutgers Law School under a minority student program.
~ Raw Story

Senator Brown has spoken to his entire staff -- including the individuals involved in this unacceptable behavior -- and issued them their one and only warning that this type of conduct will not be tolerated.
As we enter the final stretch of this campaign, emotions are running high, and while Senator Brown can't control everyone, he is encouraging both sides to act with respect. He regrets that members of his staff did not live up to the high standards that the people of Massachusetts expect and deserve.
~ Suddenly strong-worded statement from Brown spokeswoman Alleigh Marre


Nov. 6, Sen. Scotty Tomahawk gets \the chop\.
~ comment by JMFree on UPI.com

(R)acial slurs, when demagoguery is all you've got left ...
~ comment by Snerdgronk on Huffington Post

Brown is clearly White. He should not claim to be Brown.
~ comment by hl123 on Huffington Post

The GOP seems to like promoting the idea that minorities get special advantage in the United States. They don't want to believe Obama could be qualified to get into Harvard. Brown wants us to believe that Warren pretended to be a minority to get into college and get a job.
~ comment by MissRoseNylund on Huff Post

Instant Native American ancestry expert Scott Brown seems to have forgotten about, chooses to ignore or perhaps is totally ignorant and unaware of the Dawes Roll, blood quantum and the fact that there are three Federally recognized Cherokee nations; Cherokee Nation, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the United Keetoowah Band. The blood quantum for all three nations is different, and Brown's phenotypical dismissal of Warren's claim shows his ignorance.
~ comment by Kahuna on Huff Post












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