A statue in front of Union Center was vandalized.
A statue in front of Union Center was vandalized.
The Chicago Blackhawks should not change their name, hockey fans and BLM supporters in Illinois overwhelmingly agree.
Between Oct. 16 and 24, Chicago City Wire asked Facebook users, “Should the Blackhawks change their team name and logo?”
Of the hockey fans who responded, 96.8 percent, or 746 respondents, disagree with changing the Blackhawks team name.
Of those BLM supporters polled, 97.2 percent, or 315 respondents, disagree with changing the name.
The Blackhawks organization has said there is nothing wrong with the team name as it honors a Native American.
"We recognize there is a fine line between respect and disrespect, and we commend other teams for their willingness to engage in that conversation," the team told CNN. "Moving forward, we are committed to raising the bar even higher to expand awareness of Black Hawk and the important contributions of all Native American people."
Only a few weeks ago the statue in front of the United Center depicting Black Hawk, a Souk Native American chief from which the National Hockey League’s Blackhawks derive their name, was covered in red paint and littered with graffiti.
Graffiti reading “Zhigaagoong,” “land back” and "defund CPD” and “get Wirtz off board” marred the statue.
Zhigaagoong is a movement aimed at giving Chicago back to Native Americans. The Chicago chapter of Black Lives Matter Chicago has been an advocate for Zhigaagoong.
The name change has been a minor chapter in rioting that has plagued Chicago for much of the year.
See a chart below with recorded responses to poll questions.
The poll was conducted by Chicago-based Local Government Information Services. LGIS was founded in 2015. It publishes journals covering every community in Illinois.
https://lgis.co/our_publications
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