Residents Vote To Keep Controversial Village Logo

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Patrick Garrett

Published January 12, 2016 at 6:15 AM EST

Residents of a central New York village want to keep their logo that has been called racist and offensive because it appears to show a white man choking a Native American.

In a non-binding vote Monday night, residents voted 157-55 to not change their current seal.

The Whitesboro website says the emblem dates to the early 1900s and depicts a friendly wrestling match between village founder Hugh White and an Oneida Indian. It says White won the match and the lasting goodwill of the Oneidas.

The seal appears on village police cars, signs and stationery. Controversy has waxed and waned over the years and came to a head last summer, when an online petition was posted by someone who saw the logo and took offense.

Patrick Garrett

Patrick Garrett graduated with a dual degree from the State University of New York, College at Oneonta in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications, Concentration in Production and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry. A former newsroom intern who joined the WAMC staff in 2014, he worked at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where he sold tickets. He is an Eagle Scout from Saratoga Springs and writes and plays music in his free time.

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