WALDORF, Md. — Dozens of people braved the cold Sunday afternoon to make sure their signs were seen and there voices heard on Sunday afternoon, during a protest outside a Cracker Barrel on Robert S. Crain Highway.
“It sends a message that we will not tolerate discrimination in Charles County," said Dyotha Swet, the President of NAACP in Charles County. "If we have to continue to do this, we will. This is not a one and done.”
“We’re protesting, not only for the 11 children that Cracker Barrel discriminated against, but for all kids or humans that are disabled or have special needs," said Dustin Reed who tells WUSA9 he found out his seven-year-old daughter, Madelynn, was one of the students discriminated against when the school sent him a letter the next day.
"At first, reading it, it was heartbreaking," said Reed. "After reading it probably like three times to be like, this really happened? It turned into like rage, anger.”
Cracker Barrel tells WUSA9 they fired three employees, including a general manager, after the incident and are moving forward with specialized training for employees at this restaurant.
In part of a statement, they said:
“We did not refuse service to this student group, but operational breakdowns caused by staffing shortages and poor communication on our part led us to fall well short of our service standards that day.”
Reed wouldn’t say what he’d like to see done from this Cracker Barrel in response to the incident earlier this month because attorneys are now involved. However, the NAACP of Charles County told WUSA9 they had some ideas.
“We want them to publicly apologize to these students and the staff that were here," said Sweat. "We also want them to shut down and provide training that is meaningful. Not training on the fly, not training while they’re still serving customers and making money.”
This group says they're speaking up for those who can’t.
“My daughter herself, she’s nonverbal, she’s autistic, so she doesn’t have a voice. We are her advocate," said Reed. "There’s no need for anyone to be discriminated against in any situation, any atmosphere, any lifetime.”