The debate over House Bill 1165, which would create a panel to decide whether a school district’s depiction of an Indian mascot is respectful, has elicited strong opinions on both sides of the issue.
But amid this and other debates on this topic, a deeply tragic and directly related story is being completely overlooked. And it’s not just mainstream media that tends to miss this story. It is infrequently touched on in academic journals or government publications as well.
The rate at which American Indians are victims of violent crime greatly exceeds that of every other racial group. In fact, from 1992 to 2012, American Indians were victims of violence at a rate of 102 victimizations per 1,000. This is more than twice the rate experienced by whites, blacks or Latinos during the same period (2.4 times that of whites, 2.2 times that of blacks, and 2.7 times that of Latinos).
Make no mistake: this violence is not just taking place on reservations, where less than one-quarter of American Indians currently live. These crimes are taking place in the suburbs, where American Indians are victims of violent crime at nearly three times the rate of whites or blacks. They are taking place in urban locations, where American Indians are victimized at more than twice the rate of whites or blacks. They are taking place across the nation.
How can we be certain that this enormous violent victimization disparity exists? Because these rates come from data gathered for the National Crime Victimization Survey using a very large sample of persons aged 12 and older. The data is not based only on what little crime is reported to the police, but rather on what violent crime victims have shared when asked about rape, robbery, sexual assault, robbery and physical assault regardless of police involvement, and so offers the most accurate representation.
The good news is that violent victimization against American Indians declined 66 percent from 1992 to 2012. The bad news is that they continue to be violently victimized at rates far greater than any other group. For example, between 1992 and 2012, rates of violence against American Indians fell from 136 to 47 victimizations per 1,000. Compare this to whites, who experienced a decline in violent victimization from 79 to 25 victimizations per 1,000 during the same period.
The negative experiences of American Indians doesn’t stop there, however. In addition to suffering the highest rates of violent crime victimization, more than 28 percent live in poverty (compared to 15 percent for the rest of the nation); their average household income is 30 percent lower than the national average; and, nearly twice as many lack health insurance. Not only do American Indians suffer the most from violent crimes, they do so with the fewest resources for coping with and addressing this unforgiving reality.
Clearly American Indians have been and remain a disadvantaged and marginalized group — which brings us back to the question of negative mascot imagery. I believe that the dehumanizing portrayal of American Indians as atavistic mascots makes it easier to dismiss their very real hardships. Perhaps doing so makes it easier for some to ignore past and current wrongs, and to deny the tragic narrative of this nation’s treatment of its original inhabitants.
In the face of the harsh realities that are encountered by American Indians every day, to continue using these negative stereotypes for the sake of games – for entertainment, really – is to deny the humanness of an entire race that has suffered deeply, and continues to suffer. By continuing to use negative mascots, we are essentially kicking them when they are down — something that isn’t allowed in any game, no matter how violent.
Keeping quiet about this treatment makes each of us complicit. The silence about the tragic experiences of American Indians and the continued use of these mascots says something deeply troubling about our moral values.
Callie Rennison is an associate professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver and co-director of the Criminology and Criminal Justice Research Initiative.
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