Thread by @JABell27

A little follow-on story about my Cousin Mike, whom we lost in a pedestrian/vehicle accident on Halloween. I mentioned that he was probably on the autism spectrum, & that he liked to sneak into a theater near the last group home he lived in to watch movies. The local police 1/

had responded to several calls about him, & finally told the theater manager just to let him watch b/c he wasn't hurting anything. His niece went by the theater to let them know about Mike, & she learned the rest of the story today. 2/

The manager told him that if he was going to watch movies there without paying, he needed to at least do a little work around the place sweeping up. They gave him a broom and set him to work between films, & when he wasn't watching or sweeping 3/

he liked to follow the staff around and have long conversations with them. Knowing Mike, he would probably rattle on forever about favorite films and who starred in them and who directed them and their ratings and every other bit of trivia about them you can imagine. 4/

Not only did the staff tolerate that, some of them apparently came to know and care about him. When his niece told them what had happened, they cried. I think that they gave him some things that were worth so much more than just free viewing time. 5/

They gave him friends. They gave him family. They gave him dignity and work. They gave him their time. They gave him their patience and attention. They gave him confidence that he, too, had something to offer THEM & society. 6/

I think it is not too much to say that they gave him love.

This, friends, is what social justice looks like. This is what "Do unto others" looks like. I wish every person with differences had people like this in their life.

Thank you, theater staff. I love you all. 7/end