Only in Boston!!!,and I thought they were "progressive"

http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2005-05-20-boston-indian-ban_x.htm

"BOSTON (AP) ?- John "Sam" Sapiel gets an uneasy feeling when he crosses Boston city limits, where the full-blooded Penobscot Indian is technically a persona non grata. An archaic law has forbidden American Indians from setting foot in the city since 1675, when settlers were at war with area tribes. Although the law hasn't been enforced for centuries, the fact that it still exists is a lingering source of anger for American Indians."


OK,so the state is repealing this old law.
WHY DOES IT EVEN STILL EXIST???

I thought the northeast was progressive,more advanced then the rest of us,and that race didnt matter there.
Was I wrong??

How would it feel if they actually tried to enforce this law?