On cam: Police escort Rev. Barber from AMC movie theater; he brought his own chair Rev. Dr. William Barber II was escorted out of a movie theater in Greenville, NC, on Tuesday afternoon after he was not allowed to use his own chair to watch a movie. Greenville Police were called to the AMC Fire Tower 12 movie theater around 3:19 p.m. for a trespassing call. Officers responded to the theater about a customer arguing with staff. Barber says he was at the theater to see the movie “The Color Purple” with his elderly mother. Barber cannot sit in a regular chair due to pain in his hips. He walks with two canes, and an assistant carries a special chair so he can sit everywhere he goes. Barber says he tried to use the special chair in the handicapped section of the theater, and he was told by staff he couldn’t do that, according to a report from WITN. Barber shared video of the incident that shows him talking to two police officers. The video shows Barber leaning on his canes as he is escorted down the aisle by police. “Keep filming,” says a voice from behind the camera. Another voice says, “See what they do to people? This is Bishop Barber.” As Barber walks down the aisle, he says loudly, “I want the children to see this because they’re going to deal with it. I’ve fought for everybody in this state,” he adds. The video shows Barber appearing to pray as he walks, saying, “God, I ask you to bless them … To move in them … because they know what they’re doing is wrong.” Barber says he’s used his special medical chair while in Broadway shows, as well as the White House. In the video, he addresses the camera, appearing surprised to have been asked to leave because of his chair. “They called an officer of the law, the AMC theater in Greenville, North Carolina,” he says to the camera. “They would not make amends to simply do the right thing. But we’ll deal with it.” The video then shows Barber shaking hands with an officer. A woman who is with Barber can be heard talking to employees, saying Barber’s chair is even smaller than a wheelchair that would generally sit in the handicapped spot during movies. The video shows a police officer saying, “Sorry for the way this turned out.” WRAL News has left messages with AMC Theatre Corporate Communications and has yet to hear back. Barber says he is holding a press conference on Thursday to address the situation.
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