MINNEAPOLIS, OCT. 19 -- The Atlanta Braves and their war-crying, "tomahawk-chopping" supporters haven't endeared themselves to everyone. As promised, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Metrodome today for a demonstration by Native American groups to denounce the Braves and their fans for what they deem racial stereotypes.
And they made their point with at least one prominent "offender": actress Jane Fonda, the fiancee of Braves owner Ted Turner and a longtime supporter of American Indian causes, said she would no longer do the tomahawk chop.
"I don't believe I've betrayed their cause," she told reporters. "I support them very much. But I'm sorry it offends them and I'm not going to do it anymore."
Before tonight's opening game of the World Series between the Braves and the Minnesota Twins, 150 pickets marched about a mile along a downtown street to the stadium. There, the number of demonstrators grew to 800. They set up what proved to be a peaceful action across the street from the Metrodome, with participants distributing leaflets to fans walking into the ballpark while rally leaders called for Turner to change the name of his team and urge its fans to cease their "trivializing" rituals.
"We want Ted Turner to come out with some kind of statement to put this ignorant, stupid, racist behavior to a stop," said Clyde Bellecourt, the founder and national director of the American Indian Movement and the primary organizer of today's activities.
"I'm sure they wouldn't call {the team} the Atlanta Bishops and hand out crucifixes to everyone who comes into the stadium. How about the Atlanta Klansmen? They could hand out sheets to everyone who comes in. They would never call the team the Atlanta Negroes. . . .This is the way we feel when we see the chants, the war paint and the tomahawks. They {Braves officials and fans} are totally scholastically retarded about Native American culture. Like everyone else, they have a John Wayne attitude about Indian culture, tradition and history . . .and they're ignorant to the racism that's going on."
Bellecourt said he's pressing for a meeting with Turner and officials of Major League Baseball before the end of the World Series to discuss the concerns.
According to Bellecourt, the Native American groups have been told that Turner would agree to such a meeting only after the Series. "We want to meet with them before the World Series is over," Bellecourt said. "We don't want this issue to be forgotten. . . . We're going to be heard now."
Turner was not available to respond today, and a Braves spokesman said Turner would not comment on the subject. The club's general manager, John Schuerholz, said the fans' activities are not meant to be demeaning.
Several local officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Don Fraser and Deputy Police Chief Dave Dobrotka, publicly have expressed their support for the protesters. Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.) and state Human Rights Commissioner David Beaulieu issued statements denouncing the Braves. The protesters also received public support from local chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Urban League and Minnesota's Indian Affairs Council.
Protests are planned for every game of the Series, both here and in Atlanta, Bellecourt said. Minnesota has a Native American population of about 50,000, he said, and Georgia's is roughly 13,000. He indicated that he did not blame Braves fans as much as Turner and other baseball officials who permit such behavior to persist.
"The fans are innocent in many ways," Bellecourt said. "They don't know better. . . . We're at the bottom of the social ladder in America, and the educational system in our country promotes the Indian stereotypes."
That view was echoed by Fred Veilleux, a member of the Concerned American Indian Parents Organization.
"I indict the American educational system first," he said. "I believe the origins of {team} names and mascots in this country began in the early 1900s. The history of prejudiced attitudes in our country at that period in our history is well-documented."
Still, the gathering had its less idealistic asides. One vendor who said he was not associated with the protest parked his pickup truck beside the demonstration and sold "Stop The Chop" T-shirts for $10 apiece. And several of the protesters' signs included "Go Twins!" slogans on the reverse side. "We're still Twins fans," Veilleux said.
Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent said before tonight's game that, although he's sensitive to the issues the protesters express, nothing will be resolved on the matter until after the Series.