Rev. William Barber, II a North Carolina Civil Rights leader, is fighting for his rights after a discriminatory encounter at an AMC theatre in Greenville, North Carolina.
Barber, 60 had brought his 90-year-old mother along to see "The Color Purple" but was unable to watch the film. He was not allowed to bring a special chair that he uses to maintain his posture into the handicap accessible section. The minister has a condition called ankylosing spondylitis, which limits spinal movement, making it difficult to sit in regular chairs. The seat he attempted to use has traveled around the world with him.
He exclaimed in a news interview: "I took it to the Vatican when I met the Pope. But I can't come in a Greenville theatre?"
When the staffers refused to reason with him Barber became troubled by the thought that many other people who may not have a voice like him may experience the same issue in the public facility. That is when he decided to push back.
“They said, no matter how much I explained, ‘Your chair cannot come in. Your chair is a fire hazard.’ The chair isn’t a fire hazard,” said Barber. “Where you place it is a fire hazard. If it was a fire hazard, I couldn’t have taken it into hospitals, and the White House, and on Broadway. It’s where you place it. It’s called accommodation.”
Mr. Barber's work as a retired pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, leader of the local NAACP and Poor People's campaign and involvement in other civic activities are well known locally and nationally.
One manager claimed he was trespassing when he would not leave and the other said he could stay if he provided a note from a doctor. “Both of them said ‘we know who you are’ and that’s when it triggered in me that this was bigger than me,” Barber said.
According to WITN News two police escorted Rev. Barber out of the theater. His mother watched the movie but he was forced to vacate the premises instead of being allowed to wait for her. He said the officers apologized for what was happening to him.
Barber said he has used the chair in other theaters. It was their unapologetic attitude that made him feel ashamed he said.
Since the incident he has received a phone call from the CEO and they plan to meet in person with the Chief of Police. However, no refunds for the movie ticket he purchased was offered.
Rev. Barbara asserted that the company violated the Americans With Disabilities Act which mandates that accommodations are offered for people with physical challenges.