Tuesday's melee at Playland Amusement Park could have been avoided had police shown more restraint in dealing with angry park-goers, a leader of The Muslim American Society of New York said Thursday.
In an interview, Sharif Aly, the group's vice president, said police overreacted when a melee broke out among 30 to 40 people upset about the enforcement of a longstanding restriction on headwear on some rides.
Aly deflected criticisms that the leaders of his group had dropped the ball by not notifying people about the park's policy beforehand.
"We can't be expected to notify everyone of every single policy," Aly said. "There could have been better communication on all ends." [LoHud.com] Read more
