It looks like the Barclays Center thinks Jay-Z fans are more likely to cause 99 problems than the upper-crust Barbra Streisand set.
The arena forced the crowd at the rapper’s recent concert series to herd through its new airport-style metal detectors — while fans of the legendary diva were spared the same indignity at her show on Thursday.
The security-policy switcheroo was blasted yesterday as a “double standard” that seemed racially inflammatory considering the audiences for each performer.
“The metal detectors are not in use for Barbara Streisand @barclayscenter. Racial profiling?” tweeted one Streisand concert-goer who goes by the screen name jdunkftw.
“Streisand fans get wanded. No metal detector, as with Jay-Z attendees,” observed Twitter commenter Norman Oder.
Another tweeter quipped that for the Streisand fans, Barclays security should have employed “a brisket-sniffing dog!”
Not only did the arena treat Jay-Z fans like they were visiting Brooklyn Supreme Court, they also made the crowd at an Oct. 7 Harlem Globetrotters game go through the detectors.
Arena spokesman Barry Baum said the decision to scrap the metal detectors for the Babs concert was simply to speed things up and “absolutely not” any kind of racial profiling.
The detectors have been causing long lines at events.
“We’ve only been open two weeks and are trying to make things go as smooth as possible,” Baum said.
Nevertheless, Brooklyn Councilwoman Letitia James thought the move “sends a bad message.”
“There shouldn’t be a double standard; there should be one rule of law,” she said yesterday. “If you have metal detectors for people coming to see Jay-Z, the same should apply for Barbra Streisand.
“It shouldn’t matter if you come by limousine, subway or your own two feet.”
When Barclays Center opened on Sept. 28, it became the only major arena or stadium in the New York area to employ metal detectors. They were used during each of Jay-Z’s eight shows that served to christen the venue at the end of September and start of October.
Most other venues in the Big Apple — such as Madison Square Garden — subject fans to pat-downs or security wands.
Baum said the detectors also will be on ice for tonight’s Streisand concert and for a gospel show tomorrow by The King’s Men. The detectors, however, are still slated to be used for other future arena events.
Baum said the arena is “experimenting with a variety of security measures to enhance our customers’ experience, while also, of course, ensuring a secure and safe environment.”
Reps for Jay-Z — who owns less than 1 percent of the arena and a piece of its main tenant, the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets — and Streisand did not return messages for comment.