Washington Redskins Minnesota Protest: More Than 3,000 Turn Out In Biggest 'Change The Name' Rally Yet

Thousands marched against the Washington Redskins football team name in Minneapolis Sunday in the biggest “change the name” rally yet. The Redskins are in town to play the Minnesota Vikings.

The crowd numbered more than 3,000 by some counts early in the day. The demonstration started at the Minneapolis American Indian Center and made a stop at an auditorium at the University of Minnesota before stopping at the school’s TCF Bank Stadium, where the Redskins play the Vikings. The crowd shrank to around 500 at the stadium.

A number of high profile politicians and civic leaders attended the rally. Rep. Keith Ellington and Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges both addressed the crowd in a show of support along with Minnesota Indian leaders like Tara Zhaabowekwe.

Protesters wore gold and red sweatshirts, the colors of the team, with “Rethink” written across the front in the team’s characteristic font. Signs included: “'Viking’ is a job, ‘Redskin’ is a slur,” “I am not a mascot,” and “Redskins refer to the scalps of my ancestors.”

The city of Minneapolis said last week it lacked the authority to bar the team from using the name when it played in the city, and the University of Minnesota said while it opposes the name, the contract with the Vikings bars the university from taking any action.

Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has insisted he will not change the name despite pressure from American Indian groups, dozens of U.S. senators and President Barack Obama. He contends the name honors Native Americans. Snyder has become a lightning rod for criticism in the debate and protesters in Minnesota pointed him out personally.

“We are standing up against this monster team that is here today and to this Jewish person [Snyder] who should know a little bit about genocide,” Minneapolis activist Clyde Bellecourt said. “There have been millions of people erased from the face of the Earth. Scalped. Scalped! Their scalps taken to be sold for bounty, the blood running down the children’s faces. There were whole tribes that were totally decimated.”