Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
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Saint Petersburg, FL - As organizations and individuals concerned with human dignity and civil rights the American Indian Movement of Florida requests your support in a tourism boycott of the PASCO COUNTY area (New Port Richey).

The spark to this call is the continued efforts by Pasco County, the City of New Port Richey, West Pasco Chamber of Commerce, and Chasco Fiesta to depict Indigenous peoples as "Savages", "Heathens" and the "people who betrayed Christ" as stated in their pagent. The word "Savages" used to describe Indian peoples is on their web page.

The entire basis of the Chasco Fiesta is a fictitious novella, pagent script written by racist postal employee Gerben Devries in 1922. The story is of a Calusa "Queen" who is venerated because she eschewed the "savage" "Heathen" ways of her relatives and embraced the better Christianity way and values of the dominant society. This is blatantly apparent during the pagent in which this vile and racist play is acted out as the centerpiece of the pagent.

For five years the American Indian Movement of Florida has worked at the dialogue of cooperation to no avail. After a final meeting with the Chamber of Commerce the Chamber responded that they would encourage advertisers not to use racist stereotypes.

This is blatantly unacceptable. This racist, degrading, dehumanizing festival must be shut down. AIM Florida is availing itself of all tactics and strategies in an effort to respond to the organizers rejection of our offer of the dialogue of cooperation. We ask you, friends, organizations in solidarity, and people of goodwill, to announce your support of AIM Florida's Pasco County Tourist boycott. Please email responses to AIMFL@aol.com or send postal mail to the, American Indian Movement of Florida State Office 136 4th Street Suite 308 Saint Petersburg, FL 33701.

We are certain that as an organization concerned with human rights and opposed to the dehumanizing, racist, degrading, disgraceful use of stereotypical representations of a people, that you will join us in asking for human beings to avoid Pasco County when vacationing or spending their hard earned monies. If you have any questions, concerns, or need additional information please email us.

Sincerely,

Sheridan Murphy
State Executive Director