Mascot debate turns violent when school board member punched in Connecticut, video shows
A high school mascot debate in Connecticut turned violent when a board of education member was punched in the face by a man attending the public meeting, video shows.
Some in the community oppose Glastonbury High School’s mascot change from the Tomahawks to the Guardians, according to the meeting’s public comments.
Board of education member Ray McFall and a town resident are seen face to face in a heated discussion before McFall pushes the man during the Dec. 14 meeting, according to WFSB 3, which shared video of the altercation.
As a result, the man is seen punching McFall in the face, knocking him to the ground.
The incident occurred during a 10-minute recess and led to the meeting’s end before a vote on restoring the mascot could take place, according to a statement by Dr. Alan B. Bookman, the superintendent of Glastonbury Public Schools, sent to the school community and provided to McClatchy News.
“It is critical that we listen to each other with respect and follow meeting rules so that everyone can be heard,” Bookman said.
McClatchy News reached out to the high school for comment on Dec. 16 and was awaiting a response.
In 2020, the district got rid of the Tomahawks mascot over concerns it negatively appropriated the culture of Native Americans, according to a Dec. 6 letter issued by Doug Foyle, the chair of the board, that was provided to McClatchy News.
The Dec. 14 meeting was held to debate whether to bring back the Tomahawksmascot, according to the Hartford Courant.
“I strongly oppose the use of Tomahawks as a mascot for Glastonbury Public Schools. It is offensive to Native Americans to use Native American [imagery] as a sporting mascot,” Chris Balfanz argued during the public hearing, according to public comments.
“I am sorry the town has to revisit this divisive topic and risk public meetings during a pandemic to discuss something so clearly inappropriate.”
Glastonbury police are investigating the altercation that took place during the meeting, NBC Connecticut reported, noting that no arrests were made as of Dec. 15.
An online petition to keep the Tomahawks mascot at Glastonbury High School has garnered over 3,000 signatures as of Dec. 16.
“There’s no way I’m letting the Tomahawk become a thing of the past. I’m asking for your help one more time to try and save the mascot we know and love,” Erin Cabana wrote on the petition July 25, 2020.
Its most recent signatures have come this week.
“Folks need to remain calm-tempered even in the most emotional of debates,” Councilman John Cavanna told NBC Connecticut. “And that without mutual respect for each other, we will never gain the traction we need to get stuff done and better our communities.”
The National Congress of American Indians expressed disapproval of tomahawk imagery on Oct. 27, 2021, while the Atlanta Braves were in the World Series.
“The name ‘Braves,’ the tomahawk adorning the team’s uniform, and the ‘tomahawk chop’ that the team exhorts its fans to perform at home games are meant to depict and caricature not just one tribal community but all Native people, and that is certainly how baseball fans and Native people everywhere interpret them,” NCAI President Fawn Sharp said in a statement.
The NCAI “has made its categorical opposition to Native ‘themed’ mascots abundantly clear to sports teams, schools, and the general public for more than five decades,” Sharp added.
McClatchy News also reached out to Glastonbury police for more information on the Dec. 14 altercation.
Glastonbury is about 10 miles southeast of the state’s capital, Hartford.
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 11:53 AM.
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