New York town fights to keep seal that shows white man choking Native American

Whitesboro town seal Whitesboro town seal Photo: Whitesboro Village Photo: Whitesboro Village Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close New York town fights to keep seal that shows white man choking Native American 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Does the seal for the village of Whitesboro show a white man choking out a Native American? Or does it show a friendly wrestling match – where a white man is choking out a Native American?

Residents of the central New York city think it’s just an accurate depiction of a historic wrestling match that helped foster good ties between the town’s founder and the local Oneida Indians. Critics call the symbol racist.

The seal, established in the 1800s, purports to show town founder Hugh White horsing around with a member of a local tribe. The image has been controversial for decades, according to Mayor Patrick O’Connor. In fact, the logo was slightly altered in the 1970s so that White’s hands were moved from his opponent’s neck to his shoulders.

The dispute over the logo crested again after the Charleston church shooting last summer. The attack by alleged shooter Dylann Roof – who was seen in pictures carrying a Confederate flag – led to a nationwide outcry to reexamine racist symbols around the country. South Carolina legislatures voted to take down a Confederate flag outside the statehouse.

But the Whitesboro logo looks like it will remain. O’Connor said an informal vote this week of Whitesboro residents showed that 157 out of 212 voters preferred to keep the imagery, according to Syracuse.com. Officials will deliberate on the results Tuesday night.