‘We live on stolen land’: Indian-American women speak out against racism at Frisco council meeting

An Indian-American woman says the United States has stolen land and says those who blame immigrants are also immigrants or descended from immigrants.

Ankita, an Indian-American woman, recently spoke at Frisco City Council meetings and addressed the anti-Indian rhetoric generated at those meetings, without any repercussions. The woman said that people who blame all problems on immigrants are also immigrants from Europe or the descendants of immigrants because America is stolen land, which is the heritage of this country. “I’m here to speak to the hateful and racist people who are confident enough and protected enough to take to the microphone to belittle immigrants and repeatedly target members of the Frisco community at multiple meetings in Frisco, Plano and Irvine,” she said, introducing herself as Ankita. She said these racist comments made at city council meetings are being shared around the world and people are focusing on how these speakers enjoy impunity because there is no intervention and there are no consequences for their hateful rhetoric against Indians. Ankita said the comments did not cause physical harm to anyone inside the meeting, but did hurt community members outside the meeting “Why do immigrants come to this country? Immigrants come to the United States in search of a better life, but instead of welcoming them, the government crushes their hopes and dreams with oppression. Their labor is exploited, they are labeled criminals or foreigners, they are forcibly relocated, detained, deported…racists blame them for their own problems,” Ankita said. He urged everyone to think about how the government spends so much money on immigration instead of providing health care or housing for the American people. “We live on stolen land, and this land was stolen from indigenous peoples. This is the heritage of this country. The people who blame their malaise on immigrants are also immigrants who came here from Europe or are descended from immigrants. Violence and racism have no place in Frisco. The violent mobs outside Frisco’s temples and mosques need to be charged and prosecuted,” Ankita said. Another Indian speaker, Pranavi Chatrathi, spoke out against attacks on Indian-American children, and social media commentators pointed out that the Scouts who attended previous city council meetings were all Indian.The Frisco City Council meeting has been controversial as several speakers in the past have attacked Frisco’s Indian community and called for an “Indian takeover” of the city.