An Oklahoma mother was detained by police and humiliated on her family vacation after an officer accused her of wearing shorts that were too short. A TikTok video of the incident has sparked quite the backlash online and garnered support for the young mother.
On April 30, Bailey Breedlove took her children to Frontier City, a Six Flags amusement park in Oklahoma City. For the first couple of hours, she and her family had an amazing time. The good times quickly came to a halt, however, when a uniformed police officer approached her.
Breedlove explained that police originally approached her because her daughter rolled down a hill with shoes that have wheels in the heels, known as “heelies.”
“About 7 pm my daughter was yelled at by a park police officer for rolling down a hill on her heelies right next to me,” Breedlove wrote on Facebook. In a video on TikTok, Breedlove explained that the stop for the heelies was completely understandable, but what happened next went over the top.
Breedlove says the officer who stopped her proceeded to tell Breedlove that her shorts were too short. This was in spite of the fact that everyone who enters the park goes through a checkpoint and is inspected by park personnel.
As per Six Flags’ park policies, it does specify that entry can be denied to “anyone who refuses to comply with the dress code.” However, there isn’t any specific mention about the length of shorts and Breedlove was originally allowed into the park.
Not wanting to be harassed over her attire, Breedlove says she then walked away.
“Then she [the police officer] proceeded to follow me and grabbed my arm to turn me around and proceeded to tell me my shorts were too short,” Breedlove explained. “I committed no crime and proceeded to walk to my boyfriend as I am autistic and have a hard time talking to officers. She followed me yelling and calling for backup.”
The video picks up at this time as Breedlove and her children are being detained by police and a park manager over her choice of shorts.
“I was told I needed to go buy new shorts which I am not obligated to purchase anything I don’t want to,” she said.
As the video shows, the officer is demanding Breedlove’s ID to which the young mother refuses as she had committed no crime. When Breedlove asked why she needed to show her ID, she was given the response, “because they are the police.”
Breedlove says the officers refused to provide badge numbers and then forced the family to leave despite Breedlove acquiescing to the demand to buy new shorts.
“They wouldn’t provide us with badge numbers and I was terrified I was about to go to jail over a pair of shorts,” she said. “Then I was threatened with criminal trespassing when I agreed to buy new shorts so my family could enjoy their vacation,” she said.
In a post on Facebook, Breedlove noted that she was banned from the park for five years. She then wrote a message for the Oklahoma police department stating: “Your officers had my 11-year-old daughter crying hysterically thinking her mother was about to be arrested. Your policies are vague and confusing and the way you body shame and discriminate is unlawful.”
“I have a 5-year ban now but will not be returning to any of your parks if this is how you treat a woman and law abiding citizens and visitors. You should be ashamed with yourselves,” she wrote.
In another TikTok video, Breedlove posted photos of the shorts in question. They are pictured above and are nothing out of the ordinary.
Breedlove issued an update this week noting that the Oklahoma police department contacted her and said it was not an Oklahoma city officer and that they are looking into the situation.
This article was originally featured on The Free Thought Project and is republished with permission.
