Ohio state senator urges Cleveland Indians to change team name, mascot

Ohio state senator Eric Kearney introduced legislation Wednesday urging the Cleveland Indians to change the team's name and mascot.

The resolution comes during a summer in which the debate over the Washington Redskins has intensified. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the name "insensitive" and the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office canceled the team's trademark, for instance. 

Kearney, a democrat from North Avondale, introduced the legislation while the Indians are playing a series against the Cincinnati Reds, who play near Kearney's district. 

In the resolution, Kearney urges the team to change the name and remove Chief Wahoo, the team's mascot: 

"A team named the Indians, or one that carries a mascot of a stereotypical Native American caricature, such as Chief Wahoo, is an affront to Native Americans and...An evolving sense of decency and respect demand that the Cleveland Indians change their nickname and mascot."

 The Ohio General Assembly is on summer break. 

In February, the Cleveland Plain Dealerpublished an editorial calling for the team to eliminate Chief Wahoo as mascot. At the Indians' home opener in April, Native Americans protested the use of the logo. 

- Alex Hampl