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Woman Says She Was Bullied By Knott's Scary Farm Employees For Being Overweight

knotts-scary-farm.jpg
Knott's Scary Farm (Photo via Knott's Berry Farm/Facebook)

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A woman who went for a night of Halloween-themed fun at Knott's Scary Farm said she and others were bullied and insulted by park employees because of their weight, appearance, or sexuality.The guest, Nicole Cramer, posted her complaint about the "traumatizing" night on the Knott's Berry Farm Facebook page, though, the OC Weekly reports, that post was since taken down.

Cramer, 31, says she and three friends went to the theme park Wednesday night, and the harassment started soon after they got inside the gates. She narrates:

The 4 of us, all plus size women were approached to take a photo in the entrance area. Of course there were a bunch of monsters standing around in this area. I asked one if he would take a picture with us, and verbatim he said "not with that hot mess, why don't you go wipe your eyebrows off".

The group opted not to take a photo, and approached a supervisor, who seemed to shrug off their complaint, suggesting they "go online and write a letter." The group ran into the same "monster" character soon after:

As we walked back toward ghost town, we passed the same "monster" a very tall thin male dressed as the wicked witch, with an all green face. I said "you are a jerk". Now there were people everywhere, and he walked past me, yelled at the top of his lungs "why don't you go back to Jenny Craig?" then the "monster" that is dressed as a hunch back pig came circling around me snorting.

Cramer goes on to describe further bullying and meanness she saw others subjected to, including similar barbs about weight, as well as sexuality. She describes employees screaming at her as she spoke on her cellphone, and insulting others on the dance floor. Cramer says she spoke to what seemed like a sympathetic manager who, she notes, did not take down any of their information.

Though the post was taken off the Knott's Facebook page, Cramer said she's heard from others who had similar experiences.

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Many are posting to the Knott's Berry Farm page, like Isabel Huerta, who writes: "I will not be visiting your park again until Nicole Cramer receives the response she deserves. I would encourage you to respond in a manner aligned with your slogan claiming to be California's Best Amusement Park. "

Quenby Millerossi posts:

I just read the article about KBF employees harassing and bullying people, and the ho-hum attitude of the staff it was reported to. I no longer want to visit the park on my next trip to CA. This is shameful, certainly not entertaining, and definitely not good business.

Knott's told the OC Weekly they would look into it:
"We have received a copy of this letter and are investigating the situation. We do not condone this type of behavior by our employees and will be reaching out to the guest regarding this situation."

Cramer, however, says she won't set foot in Knott's Berry Farm again, adding:

I have made my experience known across several social networking sites. My best advice would be to pay a little more money, and head to Disneyland, where people are actually nice.

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