Rev. William Barber II says AMC theater asked him to leave over a chair; AMC apologizes

A prominent civil rights leader called it absurd he was removed from a viewing of "The Color Purple" on Tuesday over his use of a chair for his disability.

During a news conference on Friday, Rev. William J. Barber II, 60, said he was asked to leave the AMC Fire Tower 12 in Greenville, North Carolina, because employees said his chair was a fire code violation. Barber went to the theater with his 90-year-old mother.

"The movie was a gift to my mother," Barber told a crowd at a Friday press conference in Greenville.

Greenville Police escorted Barber and his party outside of the theater, NBC News reported. It's unclear who called police. The Greenville Police Department didn't immediately respond to USA TODAY's requests for comment.

The North Carolina NAACP signaled its support for Barber - its former president - launching a petition Thursday for AMC to increase accessibility in its theaters.

"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," Barber said at the press conference.

He urged people who want to bring chairs in solidarity to only do so if they need it as a means of accommodation.

Employees request Barber to leave, AMC apologies

Religion News Service reported that employees said the chair was a fire code violation and the location only accommodates wheelchairs, but management allegedly told Barber they don't have accommodation rules in writing.

The interaction between Barber and the officer was caught on video and posted to Facebook. In the video, an officer is heard telling a man, later identified as Barber, that was he was going to be escorted out. Barber declined to leave, sat in his chair, and told the officer he was not resisting.

Barber later willingly left the theater with his two canes. An officer told a person recording the incident that Barber is not allowed back at the location.

"It should have never been a police escalation situation," Barber said Friday, adding he should've never been threatened with trespassing. He later said the Greenville Police Chief Ted Sauls spoke with him about the incident.

AMC Theaters Spokesperson Ryan Noonan apologized to Barber for the incident, Religion News Service reported, Noonan also said that the company's chairman and CEO Adam Aron plans to meet with Barber soon. Barber said Friday he accepted the apology.

AMC Theaters didn't immediately respond to USA TODAY's requests for comment.

"I've been on Broadway, I've been at the White House with this chair," Barber said in the video posted to Facebook. "They called an officer of the law, the AMC Theater in Greenville, North Carolina, they would not make amends to simply do the right thing."

Barber uses special chair, canes for arthritis

At the press conference, Barber said he's been diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis for about 30 years. He uses a special chair that sits higher off the ground because he cannot sit in a low chair or be in a low position due to the pain.

According to the National Institutes of Health, ankylosing spondylitis causes inflammation in spinal ligaments and joints. The condition can also cause issues to people's knees, ankles and hips.

"If you have ankylosing spondylitis, the inflammation in the joints and tissues of the spine can cause stiffness," the NIH website states. "In severe cases, this may cause the vertebrae (bones in the spine) to fuse (grow together)."

There's no cure for the condition, according to the agency. But people can use physical or occupational therapy, medication and other remedies to alleviate symptoms.

Barber said Friday he's had surgery on his hip, neck and spine for the chronic form of arthritis.

Barber recalled one manager, who he declined to name, telling him to get a doctor's note for his chair and to return to the theater.

He hopes a meeting with Aron on Tuesday will be productive and promote change throughout AMC Theaters.

"I ain't gone let nobody make me take my chair home," Barber told an energized crowd.

Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at [email protected]. Follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @KrystalRNurse.