Supreme Court overrules payout of $80,000 to black cinema goers after manager asked them to be quiet

Daily Mail UK ^ | March 3, 2011

[rightwingintelligentsia]

A cinema manager was not being racist when he told a largely black audience to silence their cell phones and be quiet, Delaware's Supreme Court has ruled.

The court has overturned a judgment by the state's Human Relations Commission that 23 black cinema goers should each be awarded $1,500 for being told to be quiet by David Stewart.

Carmike 14 Theatre, in Dover, was told to make the payouts after 'insulting, humiliating and demeaning' patrons during a showing of the Tyler Perry movie Why Did I Get Married? in October 2007.

The movie theatre was sold-out and was showing the film on three different screens at the same time.

Mr Stewart, who is white, made the plea to keep the noise down before the screening in the main, largest theatre.

He was then followed out of the theatre by a patron, who told him his comments did not go down well.

Mr Stewart went back, explained that he didn't mean to offend anyone, but he had to make the announcement per the policy of the owner, Carmike Cinemas.

Juana Fuentes-Bowles, the director of Delaware’s Human Relations Division at the time, was in the audience and stood up and told the crowd that his remarks were racist.

[ridesthemiles]

REPARATIONS——

Wherever they can find them.......

[goodnesswins]

O...M...G

[WayneS]

Juana Fuentes-Bowles, the director of Delaware’s Human Relations Division at the time, was in the audience and stood up and told the crowd that his remarks were racist.

It looks tome like Ms. Fragrant-Bowels is one of those morons who go around LOOKING for reasons to be offended. I'm SURE she's VERY good at he job...

[DeathBeforeDishonor1]

"Thats Racist!"

[wiggen]

“The policy of telling customers to be quiet has since been discontinued.”
Wow. so people can do whatever they like in the theater? Why spend your hard earned money to hear some idiots conversation on his cell phone? Discontinuing the policy is a sure way to make sure nobody goes to their theaters.

[MrB]

So, is it part of the culture to be obnoxious and rude in a theater?
Or is it just another way to needle “whitey”?

[kittymyrib]

Chumps...all they would have received was $1500. The taxpayer-funded bonanza is in suing the USDA for billions as aggrieved Black “farmers,” most of whom have never seen a cow or a plow. The Sherrods have gotten tens of millions and she still has her cushy job at the USDA. That’s where the big bucks are.

[golux]

Quieting cell phones in theatres is RACIST.

This damned racist ass deserves to have his children subjected to unfair discrimination in their school and college applications and such because of their skin color.

Just kidding! That would be ridiculous.

[struggle]

>>Juana Fuentes-Bowles

Fire her for false accusations.

[Joe 6-pack]

“The policy of telling customers to be quiet has since been discontinued.”

They would have been better off discontinuing their policy of showing Tyler Perry movies.

[DeathBeforeDishonor1]

Meanwhile, back in Chicago, Jesse Jackson, Hero and Savior to all who are wronged racially, keeps a watchful eye from across the Atlantic in his Push Fortress of Solitude....

"I am deeply disturbed by the percipitude of prevading race-ee-el overtones"...

[autumnraine]

“The policy of telling customers to be quiet has since been discontinued.”

THIS LAST LINE should be more shocking than the rest of the article (including the group “fining” the manager collecting phone numbers to solicit them to file a complaint)

[lbryce]

However, despite the crowd shouting “We will not shut off our cell phones, you, white devil, you! And by the way where is our reparations for slavery”? the court felt the cinema owner was not entitled to any compensation.

[Brad from Tennessee]

Try watching “Mississippi Burning” in 1988 at a theater in Florence, Alabama where 60 percent of the audience is African-American. A friend and his wife had the experience. He said,”They were really yelling back at the screen that night.” He said the audience was more entertaining than the movie. Not long after this Eddie Murphy had a skit on SNL about this cultural phenomenon.

[Secret Agent Man]

SInce when is asking a theater audience to be quiet a racist thing? This is idiotic. Being an asshole is colorblind and deserves such a colorblind response.

[dainbramaged]

None of these idiots have ever been taught anything resembling manners - check out “Hardcore Pawn” on TruTV. It’s about a gigantic pawn shop in Detroit - very informative if you’ve never seen that type of behavior.

[autumnraine]

While I agree due to all this nonsense over obnoxious behavior...

Just watched that movie “Meet the Brown’s” this past weekend and it was a pretty good movie! Not a huge fan of Tyler Perry, or Angela Bassett for that matter, but the movie itself was decent.

[wac3rd]

“Juana Fuentes-Bowles, the director of Delaware’s Human Relations Division at the time, was in the audience and stood up and told the crowd that his remarks were racist.”

Of course they were racist, if you expect people to be quiet and follow the rules of the theater that they spend $10-15 on and expected to hear, and the offender were, say, African-American, then you are clearly racist.

As Eric Holder says, you cannot understand what “His People” have endured, even when they misbehave in movie theaters.

A continent in utter despair, islands in utter chaos and cities in unimaginable disrepair and financial crisis for a culture that produces nothing.

Do the math, it's an easy equation for most people to arrive at the politically incorrect answer.

[Lazamataz]

The court has overturned a judgment by the state's Human Relations Commission that 23 black cinema goers should each be awarded $1,500 for being told to be quiet by David Stewart.....

.....Juana Fuentes-Bowles, the director of Delaware’s Human Relations Division at the time, was in the audience and stood up and told the crowd that his remarks were racist.

In other circles, this is known as extortion and racketeering.