RLANDO, Fla. (KKTV/Gray News) - A Colorado family was concerned by a potentially hateful gesture when looking at pictures and videos from a vacation to Universal Orlando.
In one of their videos, the daughter of Tiffany and Richard Zinger was posing with the character Gru from "Despicable Me." As the character posed for the photo with the young black girl, the person in the suit made the "OK" symbol on the girl's shoulder.
The video was taken inside one of the resort's hotels in March.
The parents, both veterans who served in Iraq, said it didn't appear to be a harmless gesture to them. They shared the video with KKTV but asked that their daughter not be identified.
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The Anti-Defamation League announced in September that it is a racist symbol in some contexts. The family of the young girl believes that may have been the intention of the person in the costume.
Tom Schroder, a spokesman for NBC Universal Orlando, apologized to the family and said they never want guests to experience what they did.
"We are taking steps to make sure nothing like this happens again," he stated. "We can’t discuss specifics about this incident, but we can confirm that the actor no longer works here. We remain in contact with the family and will work with them privately to make this right."
Universal did not comment on whether the gesture made by the person in the costume could have had another meaning.
Loews Hotels representatives did not respond to requests for comment on the incident.
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