AMC apologizes for kicking disabled civil rights activist and his 90-year-old mother out of theater due to seating issues

Pastor Dr. William J. Barber II has sat with presidents, marched with Jesse Jackson and been arrested during peaceful protests for voting rights and higher wages, but his recent experiences at AMC Fire Tower 12 were new to him.

The civil rights activist can be seen with his 90-year-old mother at the theater in Greenville, North Carolina. The color purple was asked to leave the theater on Tuesday due to seating problems.

Rev Barber, 60, had long suffered from a form of arthritis known as ankylosing spondylitis. He has difficulty sitting for long periods of time, cannot use a wheelchair and walks with two canes. Low chairs are a problem for him. He travels with his own chair and almost always uses it instead of the seats in public spaces.

“My chair was all over the place,” Barber told Religion News Service. “In hospitals, in restaurants, in airports, in the White House and in Congress. This is a need I have because I struggle with a very debilitating arthritic condition.”

However, the theater staff did not allow him to use his special seat on Tuesday because there was a fire hazard. Only wheelchairs were allowed, he was told. When Barber asked to see the theater’s written policy, he said he was not told.

The police were called and Rev. Barber agreed to leave the theater, even though he did not agree with the theater’s policy and had to leave his mother at the theater with an assistant.

“I felt like I wasn’t being listened to,” Barber told CNN. “It felt like they weren’t even trying to take my disability into account,” he added.

AMC later issued a statement obtained by CNN.

“AMC Chairman and CEO Adam Aron has already called him and plans to meet with him in person next week in Greenville, NC to discuss both this situation and the good works Bishop Barber has done throughout the year ,” the statement said. “We are also reviewing our policies with our theater teams to ensure that situations like this do not occur again.”

A spokesman for AMC Theaters later told Religion News Service, “We sincerely apologize to Bishop Barber for the way he was treated and for the frustration and inconvenience caused to him, his family and his guests.”

The spokesperson also said that the AMC welcomes people with disabilities. “Our theater crews work hard to accommodate guests whose needs fall outside of normal business operations,” he added.

Rev. Barber said it’s not just about theater policy, the Americans with Disabilities Act also requires such venues to provide accommodations

“This is not the ancient world where sick people are pushed aside and told: ‘You cannot participate’,” he told RNS. “According to our laws, you must provide accommodation.”