Rev. William Barber calls for accessibility reforms after being removed from NC theater
After being removed from a Greenville movie theater, the Rev. William J. Barber II is calling for reforms to increase accessibility for people with disabilities.
In a news conference on Friday, Barber said managers at the AMC Fire Tower 12 called the police on him on Tuesday after a dispute about his use of a specialized chair in the theater. The civil-rights activist said he uses the chair everywhere to alleviate pain caused by his disability.
“For more than 30 years now I’ve suffered from a form of arthritis that’s rare, but one of the most dangerous forms, debilitating forms called Ankylosing Spondylitis,” he said. “…I walk now with two canes, I have to carry a high chair with me everywhere I go because... I cannot bend to sit in a low chair, nor rise from a low position.”
Barber has led protests against legislation in North Carolina that he and other advocates see as racially discriminatory or as harming poor people, and has sought changes to address economic inequality.
In speaking up Friday on behalf of people with disabilities, the pastor from Goldsboro alluded to the need for “systemic changes” for that community and suggested specifically that changes are needed to law enforcement policy so that police do not get involved with business managers “abusing their power.”
What happened to Barber at the theater?
Barber said he had gone to the theater to see “The Color Purple” with his 90-year-old mother as part of a weeklong celebration leading up to her receiving The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of the state’s highest honors, this weekend.
“But our plans were interrupted when the managers of the AMC theater here in Greenville chose to call the police rather than accommodate my visible disability,” he said.
According to a news release from the Greenville police, they were called around 3:20 p.m. on Tuesday by someone who said a customer was arguing with theater staff.
“The police, in this instance, were asked to do something they should have not been asked to do,” Barber said. “And in this instance they handled it professionally … as soon as I was outside, they said they were sorry and left.”
What is Barber advocating now?
Barber has since spoken with the CEO of AMC Theaters, Adam Aron, and plans to meet with him in person to discuss what changes can be made to avoid similar situations in the future.
“It’s not about me personally, though it happened to me personally,” Barber said. “This is about what systemic changes and policy changes to training need to be done to ensure this happens to no one.”
In a statement to McClatchy News, an AMC spokesperson said the company “welcomes guests with disabilities,” The spokesperson continued: ”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.”
During Friday’s press conference, Barber spoke emotionally about his experience with his disability and advocated for further accessibility and awareness for people with disabilities.
“When I was disabled by this disease as a young man I had to battle a serious depression. I thought my life was over – people told me you can’t be a preacher who can’t walk,” he said. “…But it was my mother, who’s a pianist and an organist, who came to the hospital and played hymns while a team of doctors and therapists came to show me that though my body was broken, I could learn a new way of moving in the world.”
Barber said he has secured legal counsel, but “my hope is by meeting with the president (of AMC), none of that stuff will be needed.”
