ORLANDO, Fla. – Protestors gathered Monday outside ICON Park to rail against the amusement park following the death of a 14-year-old boy who fell from the park’s Orlando FreeFall ride.
Tina Wilson, founder of the Juneteenth Project Coalition, helped organize the protest with allies and organization members. Wilson said this isn’t the first demonstration she’s led, and it won’t be the last as long as the Orlando FreeFall ride stands.
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Her organization called out ICON Park CEO Chris Jaskiewicz, asking he break the lease with the Slingshot Group, the company behind the ride.
She said someone needs to be held accountable after the March tragedy that killed Sampson.
“I was numb because I’m a parent. I’m a grandparent,” Wilson said.
James Wilson, co-founder of the coalition, said that when he learned about what happened, it blew him away.
“I know I cried,” he said. “I cried. I was sad.”
James Wilson said it’s important for the ride to be taken down “so that it doesn’t happen again.”
“Dismantle it. Sell it for scrap,” Tina Wilson said. “Get it out of our community because a child died. We want you to be responsible.”
Harmonie McQuade, 11, said she couldn’t keep her composure when she heard how Sampson died.
“I was at school, crying, really sad about it,” she said. “Why did this happen to him? This poor boy didn’t do anything to these people.”
She joined the protest, determined to help the group get justice for Sampson.
Tina Wilson said the group started a petition on change.org to get the ride torn down, and, so far, it has about 5,000 signatures.