SALEM, Ore. – It just goes to show you can never please everyone all the time.

Oregon lawmakers recently passed legislation to settle the years-long debate over the use of Native American mascots and images in the state’s high schools. Senate Bill 1509, signed by Gov. John Kitzhaber earlier this month, would allow schools to use a Native American mascot if any of the nine recognized Indian tribes in Oregon approve, the Statesman Journal reports.

But Portland Human Rights Commissioner Sam Sachs said he plans to file a civil rights complaint with the state Department of Education over the new law, and will possibly develop a documentary detailing discrimination against Native Americans, the news site reports.

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He told the Journal he plans to gather 200,000 signatures against the new law and forward the petition to the White House’s “We the People” website in an effort to invoke intervention from President Barack Obama.

“This issue needs to be looked at from a national perspective,” Sachs told the Journal.

Sachs is consulting with attorneys about the best way to proceed on the legal front.

“My fear is I will need plaintiffs, American Indian students, to be the face of it, and I want to work toward that over the next few months; it’s not something to rush into tomorrow,” he said.

While Sachs is shopping for American Indian students who are offended by the new law, Oregon Indian Association Vice President Se-ah-Dom Edmo is waiting to see how the Department of Education will implement the law, though she seemed less than enthused about continuing the tradition of Native American mascots.

“We want to get to the table and have the discussions,” Edmo said. “SB 1509 is OK, but creating racial mascots of any people is offensive. The state becomes complicit. Could it defend the Beaverton Blacks? The Amity Asians? The Lake Oswego Latinos? What kind of mascot or cheers would be OK to use? It’s like the Confederate flag – it creates a climate of stereotypical and abusive behavior, and it becomes acceptable.”

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She also pointed out that erasing Indian sports mascots is a high priority for the National Congress of American Indians, according to the Journal.

“This is not about squelching peoples’ personal traditions and history,” Edmo said. “It’s about building a shared understanding of what history means to everyone.”

Which begs the question: If a local Native American tribe and school officials agree that an Indian mascot is a significant part of their shared history and traditions – some of these mascots date back 100 years or more – then why not let them carry on in peace?