Amusement park settles black patron’s racial profiling suit

PHILADELPHIA – A Pennsylvania amusement park has settled a lawsuit filed by a black man who said security officers racially profiled him saying he matched the description of a pickpocket, then escorted him out even after it was determined he wasn’t the suspect.

The (Allentown) Morning Call reports Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom’s parent company settled the suit for an undisclosed amount.

The lawsuit was filed in June on behalf of Benjamin Slater, a Philadelphia teacher.

A letter from Slater’s attorney to U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Perkin in February indicated Slater had sought $1 million but was willing to settle for $500,000.

A spokeswoman for Dorney Park said the company wouldn’t comment on the settlement.

Dorney Park, about 60 miles (96 kilometres) north of Philadelphia, is owned by Cedar Fair, based in Sandusky, Ohio.

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Information from: The Morning Call, http://www.mcall.com