A New Jersey father says he was turned away from Six Flags Great Adventure because of the shirt he was wearing.
Marine veteran Mario Alejandro says his shirt is patriotic. It features an M16 in the colors of the American flag and the words, “Keep calm and return fire.”
Staff at Six Flags told him it was inappropriate.
“When the guy said, ‘You can’t come to this park, people will find this offensive,’ I thought it was a joke,” Alejandro said.
Alejandro, who served two tours in Iraq, says he bought the shirt to support the veterans group reconfoundation.org.
“As soon as I showed him the back of my shirt he said, ‘I don’t care. Get out of here, get out of here,’” Alejandro said.
He says he was told to either buy a new shirt in the gift shop, or leave.
So the father of three angrily left the park, while his family went inside to attend a birthday party.
When asked what the shirt means to him, Alejandro said: “With all the craziness that’s going on in this world right now, I look at it that if there was something happening here right now I would be the first one to stand up and defend anybody that’s injured, ill or sick.”
A Six Flags spokeswoman says the park has a dress code that it enforces: “We do not permit clothing with vulgar, offensive or violent images or wording.”
Alejandro sees none of that when he looks at his shirt.
