GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — Bishop William J. Barber II was escorted out of the AMC Fire Tower 12 movie theater in Greenville Tuesday afternoon after he was not allowed to use his own chair to watch a movie.
Barber is the minister of Greenleaf Christian Church, Disciples of Christ in Goldsboro and a social activist, once serving as the chair of the North Carolina NAACP. He was at the theatre with his 90-year-old mother to see “The Color Purple.” Management told him that he would not be allowed to use his own chair to sit and watch the movie in the marked handicapped section of the theater.
Management then had two Greenville police officers come to the location, and Barber was escorted from the building.
Barber said he cannot sit in chairs that require him to be close to the floor due to a bad hip. He walks with two canes and carries a chair with him to accommodate himself. He said that he had never been anywhere that did not allow him to use his own chair.
“I have a disability myself. I have serious Ankylosing (kind of arthritis),” Barber said Tuesday. “I walk with two canes. I have bad hips and I can’t sit low.
“So whether I’m on Broadway, the White House, the State House, United States Congress, they always let me bring this chair. Never been a problem. In fact, other movie theaters, never been a problem,” said Barber.
According to Barber, there were no signs or rules posted by the theater that suggested he would be prohibited from using his chair.
WNCT reached out to AMC’s corporate communications and public relations office for a comment. As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, we had not received a response.
