How the Anti-Indian Culture Wars Came for Frisco
A viral flag-tearing, racist remarks at council meetings, and a bitter mayoral runoff have exposed a divide over who gets to be Texan.
Shawnee Trail Elementary School is one of several polling sites for the June 13 mayoral runoff in Frisco, Texas — an election that has drawn national attention. “They won’t even eat beef,” a man with a holstered gun at the polling site, told The Juggernaut, referring to Indian Americans. He chose not to share his name. “They’re destroying our culture.” He wasn’t there to vote. He was “stationed” in the parking lot, making a point.
Frisco was choosing between two candidates for mayor: Mark Hill, a figure with school district ties and a coalition broad enough to require a samosa-inclined mariachi band at his campaign rally, and Rod Vilhauer, a candidate who has called Indian immigrants cockroaches, rats, and vermin in a town where 20% of its residents are Indian American.
A few weeks ago, an activist named Clayton Walker stood in the parking lot outside Frisco City Hall, and tore an Indian flag in half. He chanted. He laughed. Within days, the clip had been viewed over 10 million times. Before that, Walker had cosplayed as an Indian man who “love[d] poop” at a Frisco council meeting. So what the hell is going on in Texas? And how did we get here? The Juggernaut spoke to Frisco residents and experts to find out.