Lawsuit against AMC Theaters | Rev. William Barber announced a federal lawsuit against a theater chain over a seating incident

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) — Rev. William Barber II announced he would file a federal lawsuit against AMC Theaters following its removal from a North Carolina movie theater.

In December 2023, the well-known civil rights activist was escorted by police from the AMC Fire Tower 12 theater in Greenville during a screening of “The Color Purple.”

“This isn’t about me,” Barber said. “This is about companies like AMC who think they can treat people however they want and get away with it. It’s about every man, woman and child who faces pain and physical obstacles every day, and the CEOs who couldn’t care less.”

READ THE LAWSUIT HERE (.pdf)

Barber, who suffers from ankylosing spondylitis, a form of arthritis, was kicked out for bringing his own chair into the theater.

AMC previously apologized to Barber for its handling of the incident.

Attorney Harry Daniels is representing Barber in the case.

“This is a racial problem – a human race problem. At some point, if you’re lucky enough to live long enough, you might find yourself in a similar situation at some point,” he said. “Make no mistake: This was an injustice, not just to Bishop Barber, but to all of us. Every family knows someone who needs additional accommodations.”

Barber is a former chairman of the North Carolina NAACP and national founder and president of Repairers of the Breach and current co-chair of the National Poor People’s Campaign.

“AMC Theaters did not treat Bishop Barber like a man in pain or even an honest American. “They treated him like a criminal and used local law enforcement like paid thugs, even though they were the ones breaking the law,” Daniels said. “We’re not here for coffee and conversation. We want action, not empty excuses.”