GREENVILLE, N.C. — A civil rights leader in North Carolina said he was kicked out of a movie theater in Greenville for bringing a chair he uses for health reasons, according to a report from an ABC affiliate.
WTVD, the ABC-affiliated news outlet serving the Raleigh and Durham region, reports that Bishop William J. Barber II, the former chair of the North Carolina NAACP, went to the AMC Fire Tower 12 theater in Greenville on Tuesday to see "The Color Purple" with his mother.
The report states that Barber usually takes a special chair to public events because of a type of arthritis known as ankylosing spondylitis. But when he tried to set it up in the disabled section of the theater, staff members told him he couldn't do that, according to WTVD.
The dispute escalated and resulted in the Greenville Police Department getting called, the report stated, which continued by saying Barber voluntarily agreed to leave the theater. No one was charged.
In response to the incident, AMC Theaters shared a statement with WTVD apologizing for the handling of the incident.
"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, NC, next week to discuss both this situation and the good works Bishop Barber is engaged in throughout the years.
"AMC welcomes guests with disabilities. 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."
