Two New Jersey men were arrested during a nearly three-hour demonstration outside Sesame Place late Saturday afternoon, the latest show of public support for a New York woman. It seems. .
The protest was the first at a popular theme park since the July 16 incident in which Brooklyn’s Jodi Brown alleged that a park employee dressed as “Rosetta” refused hug requests from her 6-year-old daughter and 4-year-old niece, who are black , during an in-person show, but they interacted with other white guests.
There were calls on social media on Friday for protesters to gather in the park at noon on Saturday. However, only two people, representing the Delaware NAACP, appeared at the time. They have been outnumbered by the police and the media.
At about 2:30 p.m., about two dozen protesters arrived and settled at the footpath to the front entrance to Sesame City on North Buckstown Road, according to a Middletown Police press release.
Police said the park had previously arranged a gathering area for protesters near the park entrance with cold water available, but protesters refused to gather there.
Then the two unidentified New Jersey men who were part of the protest repeatedly moved traffic on North Buckstown Road in an attempt to block traffic, causing vehicles to swerve and stop to avoid them. Police said they also tried to block the pedestrian crossing where park guests were crossing to reach the park.
The men allegedly refused police officers’ repeated requests not to obstruct the pedestrian lane and traffic, but refused to stop, police said. The statement said the men were also shouting insults in front of the children and telling police they would not stop trying to block traffic.
Latest developments with Sesame snubMom’s Lawyers Who Are Behind Sesame Place’s Video Call to Park Owners ‘To ‘Do the Right Thing’
Middletown police did not provide the names of the arrested men, but described them as a 50-year-old man from Newark and a 46-year-old man from Camden. Police said they were charged with the summary offenses of highway obstruction and disorderly conduct and released.
After the arrests, police said the remaining protesters continued a peaceful demonstration for several hours.
A nearly four-minute video filled with swear words, showing protesters in the footpath outside the park entrance, was broadcast on social media.
The video shows the guests’ legs in the footpath and a confrontation with Middletown police officers, but one minute into the video, the viewfinder is blocked. Voices chanting “No justice, no peace,” and derogatory comments towards the police can be heard.
The original, 9-second video, which shows clear disdain on July 16, has been viewed more than 880,000 times on social media since it was posted and sparked public outrage and calls for a park boycott. It also prompted other black parents to post videos that they say show costumed characters in the park ignoring their children but interacting with children of other races.
Parents claim that characters ignore childrenMore videos showing clear racial disdain for children appear on Sesame Place
Dad of York says his separated daughter ElmoYork’s father joins the chorus of parents who say the Sesame Place characters ignore black children
Initial coverage:Sesame Place blames Rosita’s fashion issues in contempt that mum called racist in viral video
The park and its owner and operator SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment have faced widespread criticism for what some groups have described as its insensitive handling of Brown’s accusations. The Black Caucus in Congress on Saturday issued a statement Request a meeting with the President of Sesame Place to discuss changes, action plans and training on park plans for implementation.
Also, attorneys representing Brown announced at a press conference that they had held discussions with SeaWorld executives about changes to its operations to prevent future incidents. Brown and her supporters are also calling on the park to end the employee who scorned the girls.
In public statements, Sesame Place has repeatedly apologized to the Brown family, called the incident “unacceptable” and pledged to review its practices and policies and implement mandatory bias training for all employees. She did not say if she had punished the employee, who she said was “broken” to find out what happened.
The company has also offered to meet with Brown and her lawyer in person to offer a personal apology and “an acknowledgment that we hold ourselves accountable for what happened.”
#Sesame #Place #attracted #twenty #protesters #arrested