Cops Escort Diabetic Man Out Of Movie Theater For Bringing In Strawberries

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By Lina Batarags, Fri, March 28, 2014

A Brooklyn man was escorted out of a Park Slope movie theater this past Sunday for eating strawberries during a showing of the hit movieDivergent.

Michael Kass, a 41-year-old financial analyst, has Type 2 diabetes, which keeps him from eating the junk food snacks sold at the Park Slope Pavilion. So, to keep his insulin in check during the movie, he bought a carton of strawberries from a local market.

When the father of three tried to enter the theater, a worker checked his bag and found the strawberries. The worker told Kass that he would have to throw away the berries, as no outside food was allowed in the theater.

Kass tried to explain his diabetes, only to find that the workers “didn’t seem to care.” When he asked the manager to refund his $12 ticket, the manager refused.

In response, Kass stuffed the strawberries back in his bag and took a seat in the theater.

The problem wasn’t over. Kass hadn’t even opened the carton of strawberries when, about ten minutes into the previews, the manager reappeared in the theater, this time accompanied by two police officers. The officers escorted Kass out of the theater, citing his strawberries as the problem.

“It was embarrassing,” Kass recalls. “I didn’t expect it. Two police officers came and told me to leave with a full theater of people watching.”

Kass asked the officers if “this is for real,” to which the officers replied, “Yes, you have to leave.”

The irate customer said that he has “felt for a long time that more theaters should offer healthy snacks.” He later posted a complaint on the theater’s Facebook page, and wrote Mayor Bill de Blasio a letter urging him to advocate for healthier snacks in New York City cinemas.

“I’m hoping they change their policy…but I’m never going back there,” Kass said of the movie theater.

Theater owner Ben Kasash said the theater’s actions in calling the police were extreme. Kasash apologized to Kass on Facebook and offered him and his family free screening passes.

“We have hired a theater management company to help us revamp the theater to address the issues and help with the customer service,” Kasash told ABC News.