An autistic Native American college student from Oklahoma says he was assaulted by a White House staffer during a recent trip to Washington, D.C.
Barrett Dahl, an active member of the Choctaw and Sac and Fox Nations, said he decided to wear a Washington Redskins shirt during a visit to the nation’s capitol because he considers the controversial logo to be a symbol of cultural pride.
However, Dahl says his decision to wear the shirt at a “Pow Wow” meet-up organized by the White House did not sit well with William Mendoza, the White House official in charge of American Indian education. Dahl says Mendoza made derogatory statements, spat on him, and became violent after seeing the shirt, which some critics argue is offensive to Native Americans.
“He comes to me and calls me the name weetard not retard, weetard. ‘You’re a weetard for not understanding Redskins is offensive’,'” said Dahl on Wednesday. The alleged incident occurred in October of last year.
Mendoza’s official title is Executive Director of the White House Initiative of American Indian and Alaska Native Education. He is an outspoken advocate for eliminating the use of Native American images as sports mascots.
Mendoza’s lawyer dispute’s Dahl’s account, and suggested Dahl was the one who got aggressive and that his offending shirt said “INJUN PIMP”.
According to Dahl, the shirt said “INJUN PLAYER.”
The Redskins logo is the subject of frequent controversy. The underperforming NFL team is often called on by activists to change its name to something less offensive. Several institutions have moved to ban the logo, such as the fancy prep school attended by President Obama’s daughters.
A recent Washington Post poll of Native Americans found that 90% are not offended by the Redskins logo.
