Ben Crump Joins Two Young Black Girls in Sesame Street Protest Over Viral Video
Ben Crump, a famed civil rights attorney, has joined two young black girls in a Sesame Street protest over the viral video. They believe the incident is racially motivated and are demanding action from the show’s creators. A third protester has not been identified. Their names are withheld, but he is a prominent civil rights attorney and he was not arrested.
Unidentified New Jersey men shouted “No Justice, No Peace”
Police have arrested two men in connection with the three-hour protest outside the popular children’s museum, where two unidentified New Jersey men yelled: “No Justice, No Peace” in front of children. The men are accused of cutting across moving traffic and trying to block a crosswalk where park visitors cross. They refused to comply with police orders to stop, shouting expletives in front of the children.
They tried to block traffic
A woman who had her daughter’s high-five ignored by an employee at Sesame Place has been in the news again. After a video of her daughter’s July 4 stunt went viral, the Congressional Black Caucus and other legislators have requested a meeting with the head of Sesame Place to discuss the issue. The company is attempting to calm the situation and has hired a national expert to review its hiring practices and implement mandatory bias training.
The protesters’ demands are quite clear: they want changes to the company’s hiring and coaching policies and the termination of the costumed character. This is not a simple task, but many Sesame Place employees will talk out in the future to ensure that this never happens again. The New Black Panther Party in Washington, DC is supporting these efforts, as will many activists in the company. And the organizers are hoping that their efforts will result in a public apology from the company.
Police are now saying that two New Jersey men were arrested for obstructing traffic and were later released. The protesters reportedly were calling for a boycott of the venerable Sesame Place and were wearing New Black Panther Party shirts. They received threats and statements on social media, which led the company to beef up its presence outside the park. Despite the arrests, Sesame Place is as busy as ever.
They were charged with obstruction of highways
The charges stem from the fact that the protesters were outnumbered by the police and media in the noon demonstration. The protesters, meanwhile, had been warned to stay off the road. Two dozen people set up in a crosswalk near the Sesame Place entrance. The park had prearranged a staging area for the protesters, which they occupied for hours. After the protesters took the video, police began a sting operation and arrested five people on suspicion of obstruction of highways.
Police have charged two New Jersey men with disorderly conduct and obstruction of highways. The arrests were the result of a three-hour protest outside Sesame Place. According to Middletown Township Police, the two men had disobeyed orders to disperse and blocked the highway. Both were released after posting bail, but Brown and LaMarr have not yet decided whether to file a lawsuit.
Activists have called for changes in Sesame Place’s training and hiring policies. The New Black Panther Party is among those demanding change. The protesters want to see the character terminated. However, many at the show will continue to speak out in the hopes that similar incidents will not happen again. If these protesters are successful, they may well win their case.
