Theater calls cops on civil rights activist Rev. William Barber II
Barber said employees told him he couldn't make use of the special chair he employs due to a medical condition. AMC, the parent company, quickly apologized.
A North Carolina movie theater called the police on the Rev. William Barber II, who had to leave the premises in what the prominent civil rights leader said was a dispute over a special chair he uses for a medical condition.
AMC, the theater’s parent company, quickly apologized.
Barber, who walks with two canes, suffers from an arthritis condition called ankylosing spondylitis, and has an assistant carry his chair to events and outings so the 60-year-old reverend has a place to sit.
He told the New York Times that on Tuesday, he went to the AMC Fire Tower 12 theater in Greenville with his 90-year-old mother, an assistant with them, to see The Color Purple.”
Barber said he tried to utilize his chair in the theater’s handicapped section, but staff told him he couldn’t because it didn’t comply with Americans with Disabilities Act rules.
Barber told the Times that theater employees eventually called Greenville police and told officers they wanted him to leave or be charged with trespassing. He voluntarily left, and no charges were filed.
The Times reported that Barber’s mother stayed with his assistant to watch the movie.
“Disabled people have a right to show up,” he said. “Period.”
In a statement reported by WTVD, Barber said, “This is about how people with disabilities, regardless of race, color, creed or sexual orientation, should be treated fairly. With all the issues and real battles going on in the world, for managers of a theater to decide they can’t accommodate you and would rather remove you from a theater is absurd, which is why I prayed for them.”
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AMC apologized immediately, he said, its chief executive, Adam Aron, reaching out to him. The two agreed to meet next week.
“I’ve had very positive conversations with him and with the police chief,” Barber said.
Barber serves as pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church, Disciples of Christ in Goldsboro, North Carolina. A former president of the North Carolina NAACP, he’s long been active in social causes and serves as president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, a “nationwide network of faith-based intersectional justice organizations,” according to his Economic Policy Institute biography.
WTVD reported that AMC issued a statement, reading: “We sincerely apologize to Bishop Barber for how he was treated, and for the frustration and inconvenience brought to him, his family, and his guests. AMC’s Chairman and CEO Adam Aron has already telephoned him and plans to meet with him in person in Greenville, North Carolina, next week to discuss both this situation and the good works Bishop Barber is engaged in throughout the years.
“AMC welcomes guests with disabilities,” the company maintains. “We have a number of accommodations in place at our theatres at all times, and our theatre teams work hard to accommodate guests who have needs that fall outside of the normal course of business. We encourage guests who require special seating to speak with a manager in advance to see what can best be accommodated at the theater to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for the guest and those around them. We are also reviewing our policies with our theater teams to help ensure that situations like this do not occur again.”
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