Article Last Updated: 10/02/2006 11:22:00 PM MDT

denver & the west

Protest vowed for Columbus Day fete
Continuing enmity between members of AIM and some Italian-Americans is on display at a news conference.

By Mike McPhee
Denver Post Staff Writer

Organizers of this weekend's Columbus Day Parade clashed Monday with American Indian supporters, who say they will continue their annual protest of the Italian-American community's parade honoring Christopher Columbus.

Parade organizers held a news conference Monday, at which a Comanche Indian who flew in from Oklahoma told the media that "Columbus was not responsible for the 500 years of history" that followed his sailing from Spain to the Caribbean. Some claim Columbus was responsible for the "genocide" of American Indians that followed.

"Columbus never made it to the mainland (the United States) and never met an American Indian," said David Yeagley, who said he holds a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in music composition, as well as a master's degree from Yale University's School of Divinity.

"The dominant image of this parade is that American Indians are opposed to anything white or European. I don't consider Columbus to be a threat to American Indians. I consider (CU professor) Ward Churchill to be more threatening to American Indians," Yeagley said.