NEW YORK CITY -- The fallout continues from comments New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made that has Native Americans around the state fuming.
Today, members of the Oneida Indian Nation will gather with other American Indians in New York City to protest the mayor's comments. It stems from what Mayor Bloomberg recently said on his weekly radio show. In case you missed it, here's what the mayor said:
"I said to David Paterson, I said, 'You know, get yourself a cowboy hat and a shotgun. If there's ever a great video it's you standing in the middle of the New York State Thruway saying you know read my lips, the law of the land is this and we're going to enforce the law,'" Bloomberg said.
The comments come in light of the state's efforts to collect cigarette taxes on tobacco products sold on Indian reservations. They are currently exempt from taxes.
In response, a contingent of Oneida Nation Members and other American Indians from Oneida Nation Enterprises will rally on the steps of City Hall in Manhattan at 3pm today, protesting what they call "racially insensitive and offensive comments." They will be joined by other Indian nations from throughout Upstate New York as well as representatives from the American Indian Community House in New York City. They will converge on City Hall, demanding an apology from Mayor Bloomberg for what they call the hateful imagery he used.
Ray Halbritter of the Oneida Indian Nation sent a scathing letter to Mayor Bloomberg last week, saying in part "We were deeply offended and saddened by your comments...Using imagery of the governor "wearing a cowboy hat and holding a shotgun" to confront Native Americans is offensive and hurtful to us."
It's a story that is already generating debate online. One CNY Central reader writes, "In light of the historical persecution of Native Americans at the hands of white settlers, it was unwise...no, frankly stupid...for Mayor Bloomberg to conjure up those images in his remarks. That said, there should not be any special tax allowances for any groups engaging in the profitable sale of goods."
Another reader puts it this way, "Bloomberg is entitled to his opinion but proves himself to be insensitive, arrogant, and foolish as only a NYC millionaire mayor could be."
Do you think the Mayor owns Native Americans an apology? Do you think Native Americans should be exempt from charging sales tax on cigarettes or should they be given a special allowance? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.
