The vote was not binding. But residents in a New York village have indicated their desire to keep an allegedly racist logo that appears to show a white man choking a Native American.
On Monday evening, residents of the village of Whitesboro voted 157-55 to retain the seal, according to Mayor Patrick O’Connor.
The village’s website claims the emblem dates to the early 1900s and shows what is said to have been a friendly wrestling match between village founder Hugh White, and an Oneida Indian. It claims that Mr White won the match and with it, the lasting respect and goodwill of the Oneidas.
But the Associated Press reported that over the years, the seal, which appears on the villages trucks, police cars, signs and documents, has regularly sparked controversy.
The unease came to a head last summer when an online petition was established by someone from outside of the village and who said it was clearly offensive.
Village officials said Monday night's vote was informal and that they planned to discuss the results at meeting on Tuesday night.
Village clerk and historian Dana Nimey-Olney said residents were presented with several drawings to choose from, including settlers and Indians standing together.
The seal has been modified slightly over the years, the New York Post reported. After a lawsuit was filed in the 1970s calling the picture offensive, a new version was drawn with Mr White's hands on the Native American’s shoulders instead of on his neck, Mr Nimey-Olney said.
“Whitesboro views this seal as a moment in time when good relations were fostered,” he told the newspaper. “It is a wrestling match, part of the history, and nothing more.”
However, regardless of what may or may not be the truth of the image, many believe it depicts violence against Native Americans, a community that has for centuries suffered violence, discrimination and even genocide.
Joel Barkin, a spokesman for the Oneida Indian Nation of central New York, said last summer when the when the online petition was started, the the perception of violence makes it an inappropriate symbol to represent a community
