Chuck E. Cheese video of mascot in NJ ignoring Black child condemned – NorthJersey.com

A video claiming a Chuck E. Cheese mascot snubbed a Black toddler eager for a high-five at a Wayne location has gone viral on Twitter, and now the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has condemned the company’s response.

“It’s really disheartening to see a toddler apparently being discriminated against in this manner,” CAIR-NJ Executive Director Selaedin Muskat said in a statement. “What should’ve been an enjoyable day clearly turned into something else.”

The video was posted by Essex County resident Natyana Muhammad, mother of the 2-year-old who was seemingly ignored by the person inside the Chuck E. Cheese suit.

In her post, Muhammad said her daughter was “racially discriminated against” after the mascot high-fived several white children before looking down at the girl, Safa Powell, and declining to give her a high-five. The video has been viewed over 3.6 million times on Twitter.

“That was my first time actually witnessing someone, you know, ignore her or make her feel like she’s invisible,” Muhammad told WABC.

In a follow-up Tweet, Muhammad claimed the store’s manager said “sorry I feel that way,” after apparently defending the employee in the suit. Muhammad could not be reached for comment after multiple attempts by NorthJersey.com.

Muskat criticized that alleged response.

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“The mascot’s reported behavior is unacceptable, and so is Chuck E. Cheese’s response,” Muskat said. “‘I’m sorry you feel that way’ is not an acknowledgement of what happened nor is it an apology. We call on the Chuck E. Cheese franchise to issue a public apology to Natanya and her daughter.”  

The company behind Chuck E. Cheese provided a statement to WABC and said it was “saddened” by the incident, and thanked the mother for bringing the video to its attention. The company did not directly apologize in the statement, but said the store manager apologized to Muhammad. A representative from Chuck E. Cheese did not respond to a request for comment by NorthJersey.com.

This incident comes on the heels of $25 million lawsuit filed against Sesame Place after a father accused park entertainers of discriminating against his 5-year-old daughter at the Philadelphia park, similar to what occurred in the Chuck E. Cheese video.