Sikh Family Files Complaint After Park Requires Them To Remove Patkas To Ride Go-Karts

[Mehtab Singh]

LIVERMORE, Calif. One Alameda family says an amusement center in Livermore discriminated against them and now wants the state to step in to get the parent company to change its policy.

The incident happened at Boomer's Family Amusement Center which offers a variety of attractions including go-kart racing.

For 26-year-old Arminder Singh and his three younger cousins, their visit to the park last July was anything but fun when they tried to ride the go-karts.

A park employee denied them access unless they removed their patkas, the sikh turbans they were wearing.

The park has a posted policy that says all patrons are not allowed to wear headwear of any sort when riding go-karts.

On the park website, it says headwear is a choking hazard, "People have died when hijabs, scarves and other lengthy headwear or neckwear became entangled into a go karts wheels or engine."

"This is an excuse definitely," said Paul Bhatia, spokesman for the Singh family and director of United Sikhs.

The family said it explained that the patkas are part of their religious faith and keep their hair covered.

Yet they were still turned away.

Michele Wischmeyer, Vice President of Marketing for Palace Entertainment , the Southern California based parent company of Boomers, said in a statement, "Safety is our number one priority. This is not a matter of race or religion. This is a matter of safety."

At the Gurdwara, a Sikh temple in Fremont Monday night, some families told KTVU they are often discriminated against and their children bullied for what they wear.

One mom says her son asked to cut his hair so he wouldn't have to wear the patka.

"I feel really bad when my son says he wants to cut hair sometimes when he gets discriminated against by someone. We always tell him its part of our religion. Sometimes he cries for all that," said Kulvinder Kaur, a Dublin mother of two.

"We are in a free country. We should feel like we are free," adds Kawaldeep Singh, Kaur's husband.

Two civil rights groups plan to file a complaint tomorrow with the state to try to get the company to change its policy. They say this comes after months of negotiations failed.

"It's not a deep pocket case. It's a simple question of principle," said Bhatia, the Singh family spokesman and director of United Sikhs.

Many people at the Gurdwara in Fremont say more public education is needed and that a change in park policy will help.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/sikh-family-files-claim-after-park-requires-them-r/nfkJM/

[West London Singh]

Of course the amusement park was wrong and I hope the Singh family achieve a positive result.

Having said that though, I do think the family as whole have a bit of growing up to do.

My eldest is 10 and is adamant that he is now too old to wear a patka and wants to wear a dastar at all times, especially to school.

I don't know what he'd make of the grown men in the picture above dressed like 5 year olds.