During an ESPN Super Bowl promo shoot, an Arizona store owner showed up and began mocking the Native American performers hired by the sports broadcasting network.
It’s Viral: Arizona Shop Owner Interrupts ESPN Shoot with Racist Rant Against Native American Performers
The incident happened in Scottsdale on February 7, 2023 when Gilbert Ortega Jr—the owner of a jewelry store—came out simply to heckle and harass the performers. He would yell “MAGA country” and call the performers “f***ing Indians.” Ortega also told the performers to go back to a notable reservation in New Mexico.
Not only that but Ortega went on to mock the dances and chants which resulted in several performers confronting him. Others contacted the Scottsdale PD to report the incident. Authorities have said that the incident is being investigated but might go as far as disorderly conduct and not a hate crime.
Of course, that’s at the moment as the investigation could turn up something that constitutes a hate crime but looking at the situation and video of the confrontation, it appears that this leans towards the lesser offense.
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