Jenkinson's Aquarium worker tells black girls to get out. Racial bias?

Show Caption Hide Caption Jenkinson's Aquarium gift shop employee told black teens to leave A woman at the Jenkinson's Aquarium gift shop told a group of black teenagers they were not welcome, Paterson resident Attiyya Barrett said.

POINT PLEASANT BEACH - An incident Friday in the gift shop at Jenkinson's Aquarium in Point Pleasant Beach captured on video has triggered allegations of racial bias.

Attiyya Barrett, 42, says in a Faceboook post that a group of seven girls, all of them black, were told by a shop employee to leave the store because they were unchaperoned.

"They left and got a chaperone and went back in she then said “Didn’t i say YOUS ARE NOT WELCOME HERE! GET OUT!” The girls ran out crying asking why they couldn’t buy something," Barrett wrote in a Facebook post.

In a video accompanying the post, a woman who appears to be a shop employee explains that she didn't believe the person who returned with the girls was actually a chaperone.

You can watch the exchange in the video above.

"THE CONSTRAINT I had to exhibit in front of them leaves a horrible taste in my mouth. I had to explain to 40 girls that they are still valuable and they’re green dollars still spends even if racist folks try to hurt them!" Barrett wrote in a post.

UPDATE: The employee has been suspended amid an internal investigation, Jenkinson's Boardwalk said in a statement.

Barrett said she helps run a summer camp and other programs for Paterson students. She said the girls were hurt by the incident, but that the older girls want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone again.

They are discussing next steps together, said Barrett, who is also from Paterson.

“There’s a 7-year-old girl who went on the trip ... whenever her 12-year-old sister mentions (what happened) she starts crying,” Barrett said. “She’s upset.”

“But the older ones, I’ve been talking to them since last night. One of them texted me at 6 this morning. She said that this has been on her mind, and she asked, ‘What’s next?’” she said. “They’re not feeling defeated; they’re feeling like something has to change because this was not OK.”

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The Jenkinson's incident is only the most recent in a string of viral videos over the last year that aim to out alleged racist behavior.

A Memphis real estate investor was told by a neighbor to get off the property he'd recently purchased. A black Yale student, dozing off in the common area of her dormitory, had to prove to both a fellow student and campus police that she was a student and lived in the dormitory.

Most famously, Starbucks closed its stores in May to hold a one-day bias training after two incidents: In Philadelphia, an employee called the police on two black men who didn't make a purchase but wouldn't leave the store.

COLUMN: Pretending racism doesn't exist isn't working. It's time to talk about bias.

A few months earlier, a Starbucks employee in California deny bathroom access to a black man but allow it for a white man. Neither were paying customers.

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By Saturday morning the video had been shared on Facebook more than 6,000 times and had generated more than 2,000 comments, the vast majority of which expressed support for the girls and how Barrett handled the situation.

"I do not know you but great job, mama bear. I will be sharing your story," read one.

"If children are not allowed without an adult, a sign should be posted at the entrance," read another.

"I am so sorry this happened to your girls. This is not the Point Pleasant community that I live in," another post read. "My heart is broken for your girls and the horrible treatment you all received. Please don’t judge our entire community by this person’s ignorance."

Not all the posts were supportive, however. "I dont believe this video provides enough proof of racism. In fact it looks like the woman is being harrassed with a camera and people trying to get proof about racism in the form of harassment. If you believe it was descrimination dont make a scene call the police, get a lawyer and prove that this woman is violating your rights the correct way. Dont make an ass out of yourself and show a poor example to these kids of how adults should act."

The incident also generated a slew of negative comments for the Aquarium on Yelp.com.

"Not letting blk kids in under the guise of 'they need a chaperone' is bs. And once a chaperone is brought in, it's still an issue?" one person wrote.

"I will make sure EVERYONE knows the racist tactics the business conducts. BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY," wrote another.

Barrett said in her Facebook post that the girls were participating in a program she runs called Princess to Queenz that provides weekly field trips, mentoring seminars and tutoring during the school year. A website for the group identifies Barrett as an author from Paterson.

In a telephone interview with the Asbury Park Press on Saturday evening, Barrett said that two representatives of Jenkinson’s – including Toby Wolf, director of marketing – had spoken to her about the incident during a conference call on Friday night.

“They said they were staying after hours to rectify the situation,” Barrett said.

They also assured Barrett that they would call her again on Monday to offer an update on their investigation into what happened. However, they also wanted to point out that the operator of the gift shop is a vendor whose workers are not directly employed by Jenkinson’s, Barrett said.

“They were trying to distance themselves from the gift shop,” she said.

Nevertheless, Barrett pointed out that all guests who exit the aquarium must first go through the gift shop to leave the building. Moreover, Jenkinson’s merchandise is prominently featured in the gift shop, therefore she insists that Jenkinson’s must bear the ultimate responsibility for the conduct of the vendor’s staff.

The ages of the girls who participated in Princess to Queenz range from 6 to 14. The seven girls who were in the store at the time of the initial incident included one who is 7, two who are 14 and four who are 12.

The chaperone, whom the store clerk did not believe was an adult, is 32, according to Barrett.

Barrett said she has participated in a number of organized visits with children to Jenkinson’s. For some of the girls, this was their first to the Jersey Shore — a trip which they had raised money for and had been excited about.

“We’re not interested in going back again,” she said of Jenkinson’s.

Contributing: Alesha Williams Boyd, Mike Davis

Shannon Mullen: @MullenAPP; shannon@app.com; 732-643-4278.