UPDATED: Two Cited, But No Major Problems At Sesame Place

UPDATED: 7:18 p.m., Saturday:

Out of the handful of protestors that showed up to Sesame Place in Middletown Township Saturday afternoon, two only were arrested for minor offenses, according to authorities. 

Some of the group of about 20 to 25 protestors wore New Black Panther Party shirts and were calling out Sesame Place after a family claimed a snub by a Sesame Place character during a park parade last week was because the little girls were Black. 

Worries over a protest, threats received by the park, and statements made on social media led to police deploying a beefed up and noticeable presence Saturday outside the theme park, which was as busy as ever. 

The protest started hours after there was talk of a large rally with potentially armed demonstrators circulated. That large protest never materialized.

Middletown Township police Chief Joe Bartorilla said there was space provided by Sesame Place by the entrance to allow for a protest. Water was provided for any protestors. 

The small group of protestors ended up setting up in the crosswalk area and stepped in front of moving traffic on North Buckstown Road outside of the theme park entrance.

Bartorilla said vehicles had to stop and “swerve” to avoid striking two of the protesters several times. They also allegedly blocked families as they were crossing to get to Sesame Place’s gates.

The men were cursing in front of young kids and yelling that they were not going to stop blocking traffic, the chief said. 

“They were asked several times by officers at the scene to not block the crosswalk and to not walk into the roadway and block traffic, for the safety of themselves and others, but they continued to do so after repeatedly being asked to stay out of the roadway for safety reasons,” the chief stated.

The men were not identified by name, but police said one was a 50-year-old Newark, New Jersey resident and the other was a 46-year-old Camden, New Jersey resident. They will be charged with summary offenses of obstruction of highways and disorderly conduct.

They were cited and released, police said. 

The remaining group stayed outside the theme park for some time to demonstrate and no further incidents were reported. 

In addition to Middletown Township officers, several officers from surrounding departments gathered nearby in case they were needed. They were released after a short time. 

A LevittownNow.com reporter saw the protesters had left and there were only a few remaining police officers outside Sesame Place as of 6 p.m. 

Bartorilla said his officers at the theme park responded to several unrelated medical calls throughout the day due to the extreme heat.

UPDATED: 2:54 p.m., Saturday:

Around 2 p.m. on Saturday, a small group of people came out to make their voices heard about what they say is discrimination by Sesame Place. They spoke with reporters across the street from the theme park.

Members of the group wore shirts that read “New Black Panther Party.”

Original Story:

There were plenty of police, park staff, members of the media, and parkgoers, but the rumored large protest never materialized outside Sesame Place in Middletown Township on Saturday.

Rumors swept the area Friday that a large – some said armed – group was planning to protest outside the park starting at noon following last week’s outrage over a video that appeared to show a character ignoring two Black girls during a character parade.

By Saturday afternoon, reporters and photojournalists were keeping cool in the shade and police were milling about. Families with excited children of all races streamed in and out of the park entrance on one of the summer’s hottest days.

A few members of a civil rights group arrived, but left when the protest did not materialize.

While it was quiet in Middletown Township, civil rights attorney Ben Crump and B’Ivory LaMarr addressed reporters outside of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Social Justice Summit in New York City to discuss the incident.

The attorneys with the family and the two little girls who were snubbed by Sesame Street character Rosita called on Sea World, which owns Sesame Place, to meet with them and correct what they feel was discrimination.

LaMarr said the incident was an injustice and the theme park’s three statements in the wake of the incident show how they didn’t understand the seriousness of it.

The attorney called on Americans to tackle the issue of racism.

“We don’t respect brands that don’t respect us,” LaMarr said. “If you tolerate racism, we don’t tolerate you.”

“That character may have ignored them, but we will never ignore our Black children. They have every right to be given a full consideration and respect of any child whether White, Brown, red, or Black,” Crump told reporters.

Jodi Brown, the mother of the girls, called the incident “unacceptable” and disheartening.

Crump called on Sea World to seize the incident as a teachable moment.

In statements, the park said the incident was a misunderstanding and then apologized. They later said the family’s experience was “unacceptable” and they vowed to do better.

The theme park’s first statement said the performer in the costume was “devastated” about the incident.

Sesame Place added that the character costumes make it challenging to view children at lower levels.

They attorneys said they had numerous other videos that showed characters snubbing kids of color. One video released Friday showed last weekend’s incident from another angle, which the attorneys said provided the actor in the Rosita costume ignored children of color.

The Congressional Black Caucus issued a notice “requesting an audience with Sesame Place Park President and General Manager Cathy Valeriano to discuss the changes, plans of action, and training the park plans to implement.”

“Over the past week, we’ve seen multiple glaring examples of racism coming from the park, including the viral video in which two beautiful little Black girls were blatantly rejected by a character they idolized while white children were embraced,” the statement said.

The controversy has lit up social media and gained international attention.

Sesame Place has been in operation in Middletown Township for more than four decades and is among the most popular theme parks on the East Coast.

Report a correction via email | Editorial standards and policies

---

---