Politics & Government
Massapequa Commerce Pres. 'Disheartened' Chiefs Would Lose 'Tradition'
The state voted to have all high schools remove indigenous mascots within two years.

MASSAPEQUA, NY — The Massapequa Chamber of Commerce is weighing in on the ban of Native American names, mascots and imagery from high schools.
With the Massapequa High School team nickname, the "Chiefs," Chamber President Robert Zabbia said in a statement on Wednesday: "I myself am very disheartened that the governor is forcing our very own Massapequa Chiefs to give up generations of tradition - removing the mascot and changing the name that we have all proudly associated with the pride of Massapequa.
Zabbia added, "Once a Chief, Always a Chief."
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As Patch reported on Tuesday, the Massapequa School Board is seeing if they have any legal recourse to keep the mascot.
"The Chief is more than a symbol to Massapequa – it celebrates the rich history of
our town and honors Chief Tackapausha," the board wrote.
Find out what's happening in Massapequafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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