By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — No more gang signs and chains for patrons at a Harlem Chuck E. Cheese.
A new sign in the kids' play space tells customers that a number of items, clothing and behavior are now banned. Failure to comply will result in ejection from the ball pen heaven.
"No gang-style apparel, including but not limited to hats, shirts, buckles, bandanas, towels. No gang-type conduct or behavior, including verbal slogans, greetings, hand signs or intimidation. No weapons or tools or any sort whatsoever; including knives, chains, screwdrivers, glass cutters,” the sign read, an Upper East Side blogger first reported.
A Chuck E. Cheese spokesperson told the New York Post that the signs were posted in stores in neighborhoods with higher crime rates, which are 25 percent of stores nationwide.
While the restaurant/arcade is meant to be a safe place for kids, branches across the U.S. have seen their fair share of violent behavior. Police were called to the Brookfield, Wisc. branch 12 times between January 2007 and December 2008 to break up fights, according to the Wall Street Journal.
"There's a biker bar down the street, and we rarely get calls there,” Town of Brookfield Police Capt. Timothy Imler told the Journal.
Thirteen people were arrested last year after a fight at a Chuck E. Cheese in Susquehanna Township, Penn., according to Pennlive.com.
