Mayor Calls For Redskins To Change Name; Sued Over Street Art

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In light of growing concerns over the treatment of ethnic groups following the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is renewing the decades-old battle to change the name of D.C.'s NFL team.

Bowser is calling on team owner Dan Snyder to change the Washington Redskins' name to something less offensive to Native Americans.

"I think it's past time for the team to deal with what offends so many people and this is a great franchise with a great history that's beloved in Washington," Bowser told sports radio station The Team 980 and 95.9 FM this week. "And it deserves a name that reflects the affection that we've built for the team."

In addition to being offensive to Native Americans, Bowser said the team's name hinders the city's efforts to get a new stadium built closer to the Capitol. The Redskins now play at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.

"It's an obstacle for us locally but is also an obstacle for the federal government who leases the land to us," she said.

Snyder again drew criticism when the team posted a tweet June 2 supporting #Blackout Tuesday, a national campaign to protest racism.

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez promptly responded, "Want to really stand for racial justice?Change your name."

Snyder has long balked at any request to change the team's name and logo, which have been called racist by Native American groups.

There's been no response from Snyder on the team's social media sites to Bowser's request.

However, since purchasing the team in 1999 for $800 million, Snyder has steadfastly refused to change the team's name.

In 2013, he wrote an open letter to The Washington Post in which he reminisced about attending his first Redskins game with his father.

"I respect the opinions of those who disagree. I want them to know that I do hear them, and I will continue to listen and learn," Snyder said. "But we cannot ignore our 81-year history, or the strong feelings of most of our fans as well as Native Americans throughout the country. After 81 years, the team name, Redskins, continues to hold the memories and meaning of where we came from, who we are, and who we want to be in the years to come."

A 2016 poll by The Washington Post supports Snyder's claim. It showed that nine out of 10 Native Americans aren't offended by the name.

Snyder's right to retain the team's name has also been upheld by the Supreme Court.

In 2017, the Supreme Court ruled that a trademark law barring disparaging terms infringes on free speech rights.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday Bowser was sued in U.S. District Court for allowing "Black Lives Matter" to be painted in large yellow letters along 16th Street Northwest near the White House on June 7. In doing so, she renamed that portion of 16th Street Northwest to Black Lives Matter Plaza.

The lawsuit was filed by Rich Penkoski, head of the D.C. Chapter of the Warriors for Christ, who claims that Bowser violated the Constitution's establishment clause, which forbids the government from establishing an official religion or from passing laws that favor one religion over another.

The suit contends “Defendant Bowser’s paramount objective was to convey to the Plaintiffs and all other taxpayers the Black Lives Matter cult, which is a denominational sect of the religion of Secular Humanism, is the favored religion of the city and the Nation and that another who disagrees with their gospel narrative is a second class citizen."

Penkoski maintains that the BLM movement is a religion because it hosts "public ritualistic atonement ceremonies and incantations” and has its own religious symbols.

Bowser is also facing criticism from the conservative group, Judicial Watch.

“Mayor Bowser made a decision to turn D.C. streets into a forum for public expression. Judicial Watch seeks equal access to use this new forum to educate Americans by painting our organization’s motto and motivation, ‘Because No One Is Above the Law!,’ on a Capitol Hill street,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement.

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