A Black New Jersey woman says she and her friends were kicked out of a popular arcade on the Seaside Heights boardwalk because of their race, but the officer shown in her viral video gave a different reason. According to him, the group was being removed after staff complained they were doing their makeup in the restroom and allegedly refused to comply when asked to stop.
The confrontation has since drawn more than 2 million views on TikTok, with viewers fiercely divided over whether the women were unfairly targeted or whether employees were simply enforcing the business’s rules.
In the video, the woman, who goes by @deamakeda on TikTok, is seen touching up her makeup in the restroom with her friends. A short time later, a male police officer announces himself before walking into the women’s bathroom.
The officer told the women they were now considered trespassing, claiming cleaning staff had previously asked them to stop doing their makeup in the restroom and that they had failed to comply. The women, however, pushed back.
The woman disputed that explanation and accused both staff and the officer of treating the group differently because they were Black.
“So now we can’t use the bathroom here because we’re black,” she said.
She later added, “They don’t have an issue with people that are darker when they working for them and doing labor but all of a sudden when these people that are coming in here and running their business and not working for them oh you got a problem.” She also claimed the officer repeatedly reached toward his firearm during the confrontation. The article/video does not establish why he made those movements.
After a few more back-and-forth exchanges with the officer, the group eventually grabbed their belongings and were escorted out of the premises.
Viewers Split Over New Jersey Woman’s Discrimination Claim
In the comments, a lot of viewers didn’t believe race had anything to do with what happened.“How can I be a victim today,” one person mocked. Another asked, “What does color have to do with this?” A third commented, “Omg! I am so sick of ‘it’s because we’re black.'”
Others focused less on the racial discrimination allegation and more on the group’s decision to do their makeup and record inside the restroom. “Bringing the whole makeup set to a restaurant bathroom tho is kinda wild,” one commenter wrote. Another added, “You’re not at home it’s not a dressing table. It’s just to check.” Someone else said, “Why are you recording in the bathroom? That is a private area they don’t put security cameras in there for a reason.”
Not everyone felt that way, though. Some viewers questioned why the situation escalated and said they understood why the women were upset. “We always touch up in the bathroom that’s like a known fact,” one netizen argued. Another said, “This is so weird!!! Why is he policing your bathroom hygiene?” A third remarked, “The fact they sent a male in there to intimidate you girls too.”
As of publication, the arcade’s management has not publicly responded to the women’s discrimination allegations, and it is unclear whether the business or local police have received any formal complaint stemming from the confrontation. Meanwhile, the TikTok has surpassed 2 million views as viewers continue debating what actually led to the group’s removal.
