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AIM To Renew Protests At Chasco Street Parade

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By Carl  Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: March 17, 2009

Updated:

NEW PORT RICHEY - Many racial caricatures and stereotypes have disappeared over the years, such as African-American mammy or Sambo characters, or the Frito Bandito frowned upon by Hispanics.

Now Ruby Beaulieu and American Indian Movement supporters intend to crusade to retire what she calls "racially offensive" stereotypes and caricatures of Native Americans that still linger at Chasco Fiesta.

Beaulieu, executive director of AIM of Florida, hopes to gather some two dozen protesters at the Chasco Fiesta street parade on Saturday to demonstrate against the Chasco Krewe float.

"Krewe members claim to be honoring Native Americans, but AIM contends desecrating Native American culture with headdresses, whooping and hollering, wearing buckskin, feather and beads is nothing but a mockery," Beaulieu wrote in a statement last week.

"Oh, boy," parade organizer Roger Michels said with a sigh of resignation when asked for comments about the AIM protest.

"I wish they wouldn't, but so be it," Michels said. "I don't know we've heard from them (AIM) the last couple of years."

Wendy Brenner, Chasco Fiesta executive director, also thought AIM did not appear at last year's parade. Beaulieu said a small band of parade protesters had arrived late at the 2008 parade as AIM has been going through reorganization.

"They're free to do what they want to do," Brenner commented about AIM protesters. "It's a free country. I think it's kind of odd. If they don't like the event, they should stay away."

Brenner hopes the protest doesn't overshadow the mission of Chasco Fiesta to help raise money for community groups. Last year, almost $300,000 was raised to benefit local programs, she said.

AIM has not contacted Chasco organizers this year about their complaints, Brenner said. Beaulieu said she might seek a conference before the parade.

In the past, the Chasco Indian Pageant, which featured mostly a child cast and dramatized the supposed meeting of early Spanish explorers and the native people of the area, raised the ire of AIM. The pageant, Brenner noted, has not been performed for several years.

The pageant was based on a story written in the 1920s by Gerben DeVries, the first New Port Richey postmaster.

Beaulieu also noted progress with the annual Native American Pow Wow and Festival, which will start March 19.

"I can say the Pow Wow has improved," Beaulieu said in a recent telephone interview. In the past, vendors and participants who were not of American Indian heritage seemed to dominate the event, the AIM leader said.

"Now we have Native American dancers coming from all over," she said. "So it's a pretty decent Pow Wow."

As for the parade protest this year, Beaulieu said "we're going to keep it kind of peaceful." AIM "hopes to educate the public" about stereotypes that denigrate Native Americans, she said.

"It's time the Chasco Krewe stops exploiting Indians for their fun and games," Beaulieu said in her written statement. "Let's educate instead of promoting racism."

Carl Orth can be reached at 727-815-1068 or corth@suncoastnews.com.

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