Local News in Brief : Magic Mountain Sued
The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit Monday against Six Flags Magic Mountain on behalf of four Latinos who allegedly were barred from entering the amusement park after security guards accused them of being gang members.
The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from the Valencia amusement park and from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which helped the park develop guidelines to weed out suspected gang members.
The suit says Magic Mountain violated the civil rights of four members of a Hawthorne family who were not permitted into the park during a visit last year with a relative from Mexico.
Magic Mountain spokeswoman Sherrie Bang refused to comment on the lawsuit but said the tough screening policy was instituted after six people were stabbed and 21 arrested in a gang melee at the park in 1985.
Earlier this year, leaders of a Christian youth group from San Diego complained that nine black members were singled out by security guards and searched for weapons and drugs before being admitted to the park.
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