By Louis Chan, AsAmNews National Correspondent
A fun day at an amusement park turned to accusations of racism after a ride attendant allegedly called a Japanese park goer “stupid” and then left him bruised.
Hiroshi Yonekawa told AsAmNews it started as he prepared to go on the Mr. Freeze rollercoaster at Six Flags Arlington in Texas. He and his wife had just gotten on the ride.
“‘Give me that stupid,'” Hiroshi’s wife Katie quoted the ride attendant as saying to her husband. She says the Six Flag employee then grabbed the shoulder restraint and seat belt and forcefully buckled Hiroshi in.
“He pushed it too hard,” Hiroshi said. “The keys were in my pocket. Because he pushed it too hard, it made a bruise on my leg.
He also said the attendant gave him the middle finger as the ride whizzed pass the attendant.
The couple said they watched the same attendant treat other customers with courtesy and describe the incident as racially motivated. The couple complained to another employee who apologized.
“Really, this happened and you’re just going to say we’re sorry,” Katie responded.
That employee then referred the incident to another who again apologized and granted the couple a refund for both admission and parking.
The park is about 20 minutes outside of Dallas. Katie, who is White, said her husband has been the target of much harassment. She said earlier other park goers referred to them as “that f*cking Asian.”
She says in their hometown of Carrollton, people passing by have actually spit on her husband and called him “corona boy” and “ching chong.”
Six Flags told AsAmNews that it has not tolerance for this type of behavior.
“Six Flags is committed to creating an inclusive environment that fully embraces the diversity of our team members and guests, regardless of ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation,” said spokesperson Brad Malone in an email. “We do not tolerate racism, discrimination, or hateful behavior in any form. We are actively looking into this matter.”
The Yonekawas remain dissatisfied.
“My husband and I were just going there and expected to enjoy everything. As we were walking around Six Flags, we heard other customers say stuff about my husband too. Just because of the whole experience, we’re not going back.”
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