Who is Gilbert Ortega Jr? Arizona shop owner yells ‘f**king Indians’ and ‘MAGA country’ at ESPN performers
Gilbert Ortega (Twitter/ @KeInfoshop)
- Gilbert Ortega Jr, a local Arizona shop owner went on a racist rant after he came across some Native American performers in an ESPN shoot
- Ortega started taunting the dancers from the front of his jewelry shop in downtown Scottsdale
- Ortega is the owner of the Gilbert Ortega Native American Gallery
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Who is Gilbert Ortega Jr?
Gilbert Ortega Jr is the owner of the Gilbert Ortega Native American Gallery and if the social media buzz is to be believed, his family has a long tradition of traders who have not had the best history with Native Americans. He is reportedly from Gallup, New Mexico.
Ever since his video mocking the Native American performers went viral on social media, he has taken down the Facebook page of his company. Jewelry pieces from his brand are also sold on Etsy.
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Another video of racist owner of Gilbert Ortega galleries in Scottsdale, AZ. He is the “Junior” aka abhorrent offspring of a family with a long history of exploiting Native people. He’s from Gallup, of course. pic.twitter.com/nWsZ6jQpaB
— k’é infoshop (@KeInfoshop)
In the video, Ortega was seen mimicking the movements and chants of the performers in a demeaning manner. When some of the members of the group came over to confront him, Ortega went all out to provoke them while calling the Native Americans “f**king Indians.” He also made reference to “MAGA country” and told them to go back to Gallup.
Some members of the Native American group were upset enough to contact cops to complain. The Scottsdale Police Dept. tells us they’re investigating the incident as “possible disorderly conduct” … and, as of now, they don’t see anything that rises to the level of a hate crime. That’s subject to change based on the investigation.
“The City of Scottsdale prides itself as a welcoming community and condemns this individual’s racist comments – they do not represent our community,” the city’s police department said. “We are sad that this incident occurred and offer our full support to those who were targeted. The city condemns this individual’s racist comments – they do not represent our community.”
Apparently, Ortega reportedly tried to apologize to the performers, bringing flowers and a peace pipe.
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