A San Jose man was told to cover up a Filipino pride tattoo by security at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on Father's Day.Mark Devera has tattoos on each of his biceps that together read "Pinoy Pride" — a sentiment common among many Filipino American men. He told KPIX that he was kicked out of the boardwalk, where he was spending Father's Day with his son, by a security guard for his tattoos, which the guard allegedly said were "gang-related."“It’s an expression of me being proud to be Pinoy, a Filipino gentleman,” he told the TV station. “I’m proud of my country, you know, I’m proud of who I am.”In footage shared by KPIX, two security guards are seen in front of Devera, who's off-camera. "This gentlemen was telling me to get out of the park basically because I have tattoos," he said in the clip.Devera said that a manager later permitted him to stay in the boardwalk, but he was told to cover up the tattoos — despite other people at the park having tattoos, he said. He added that his son cried following the confrontation.“I felt embarrassed,” he told KPIX. “I’m being harassed here and violated. I felt like I’ve been stripped of my First Amendment ."A representative for the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk denied security telling him to leave the premises, but they did admit to requiring him to cover up his tattoos since they "may cause negative or aggressive reactions from some guests" — despite the tattoos being an expression of pride for the Philippines."We did engage him in a dialogue and asked him to cover his tattoo out of an abundance of caution," spokesperson Kris Reyes told SFGATE. "After a lengthy discussion he agreed and remained at the park."Reyes did not confirm whether security guards believed the tattoos to be gang-related but said that an "internal investigation and discussion" is underway following this incident.