Six Flags Park Named in Civil Rights Suit

A civil rights lawsuit has been filed against Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park, alleging that a park employee made racially derogatory comments about an African American visitor.

Park officials said Wednesday that any employee known to have made such statements would be immediately fired. “If it comes down to the fact that this person did say something like that, we would fire them on the spot,” said Magic Mountain spokesman Andy Gallardo.

In a lawsuit filed Aug. 10 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Thurman Brown, a computer engineer, claims that as he rode a bungee-jump attraction on Aug. 12, 1999, a park employee videotaping the event derided him with racial slurs. Brown purchased a tape showing his adventure on the ride and when he played it at home he heard the offensive comments in the background, said his attorney, Robert Weinstein.

Without admitting wrongdoing, the amusement park has settled previous lawsuits by minorities who said they were unfairly barred from the park because security guards thought they were gang members.