Sitting in the living room of his Kitchener apartment (mother on one side, girlfriend on the other), Justin Leckie is remarkably circumspect for a guy who has experienced the cruelest public takedown of any disabled person in recent times.
Last Wednesday, the 32-year-old Kitchener resident, who has Asperger’s, a form of autism, along with obsessive compulsive disorder, a general anxiety disorder and is subject to bouts of depression and panic attacks, stopped by to search for wings. Milton’s Grill & Bar on King Street, where he displayed his vaccination status and was greeted by door staff with his service dog, Epi.
And then, confronted by two men described on social media as the owners, things went terribly wrong.
The men, who Leckie said appeared “willing to hit someone” and were “looking for a fight,” aggressively demanded to see their dog’s certification documents, despite the fact that Leckie had eaten at Milton’s half a dozen times before without incident and a The official tag was visible on the dog’s vest.
When Leckie refused to comply because the men did not identify themselves (“I am not showing my papers to just anyone”), a confrontation broke out that quickly spiraled out of control and was documented in a grueling video showing Milton’s beleaguered employer taking the oath. . He grabbed it, pushed it and dragged it across the ground as horrified onlookers yelled “Leave him alone!” and “Don’t touch it!”
“I was half in shock at the moment it happened,” confesses the soft-spoken musician, who found the violation of both his body and his dignity highly traumatic. “It seems much longer when I saw the video.
“It was heartbreaking to see them mistreat me like bullies. I am yelling at them. My voice is hoarse. Just hearing the sound of my own voice was heartbreaking. “
A talented violinist with the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra who has sung in choirs, is pursuing his Bachelor of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University and is known, family members say, for his kindness and empathy, Leckie does not see himself as a victim. .
His position against two men featured in the video, as classic high school bullies, was not an attempt to be confrontational.
Refusing to turn over their papers to aggressive men in baseball caps was not an attempt at civil disobedience.
By the time he was approached, Justin Leckie, like many people who have been underestimated, ignored, and bullied in their lives, was crazy as hell and decided he wasn’t going to take it anymore.
“I had done nothing wrong,” he insists in a calm and firm tone.
“I knew what they were doing was not right. They had no right to lay a finger on me. I could have just gone like, ‘Oh, okay’ and come out. But I thought ‘this is wrong. I’m not going to let them do this to me. ‘ I made the decision to stand firm. “
Because Leckie has a service dog, clearly identified in the video, because the images of what he describes as “barrel-chested thugs” abusing him is so raw and visceral, because the video unfolds on an excruciating warning from four and a trigger. -Half minutes, and because there has been no attempt at reconciliation by anyone from Milton, the public’s reaction has been swift and retaliatory.
“It has taken on a life of its own,” says the grateful university student, who feels supported by the community.
“People are protesting in front of the restaurant. There have been thousands of comments on Facebook, dozens of emails, and a GoFundMe campaign. It’s amazing to see the support, based on an ethical principle. It’s not just about I. It is creating awareness. “
If it’s not obvious by now, Leckie, described by his girlfriend as “one of the kindest and most empathetic people I’ve ever met,” is smart, well-spoken and thoughtful, a challenging young man who has set high goals for himself. : become a teacher, teach, travel the world, make your mark.
Being abused for taking a principled position will set you back, you acknowledge, fearful that this incident could trigger PTSD.
But there are bigger issues at stake.
“From the moment they came to demand my roles without telling me who they were, I knew these guys were bullies just because of the way they behaved,” he insists.
“They were like gorillas, all male, with their chests puffed out, trying to look intimidating, on purpose.
“It looked like they had a chip on their shoulder, like it was something other than the service dog.”
Service dogs are what most of the media have focused on:
Are they allowed in restaurants? (are)
Did Leckie break any rules when entering the premises with one? (it did not).
But it is a red herring.
If you watch the video, what you see is less a confrontation over a dog (Leckie can be seen waving uselessly what he says are certification papers to his assailants) than two healthy men exercising their power and privilege against someone who they consider. an easy target.
“Get out of here!” orders one, grabbing Leckie by his jacket so tightly that it left bruises on his body and lacerations around his neck, according to photos shown by his distraught mother with tears in her eyes.
“No,” he replies. “I’m on the right side of the law and I’m not leaving.”
“You are invading!”
“I am a customer!”
You are undesirable. I want you out. The dog can stay, but you can’t. ”
“Undesirable” is the key word.
More than anything, it sounded the alarms not only among the autistic community – horrified to see one of their own attacked in such a cruel and contemptuous way – but also by society in general, most of which have felt victimized by so crude, retaliatory layoffs at some point, or know someone who has.
“I felt like I was in a movie with a bunch of bullies beating up someone in a restaurant,” confesses Leckie, with the perspective of a few days away.
“When you go out to eat something, you don’t expect that to happen to you. It felt surreal. ”
The men who faced it did not understand or appreciate differences or disabilities.
No patience with someone who had a service dog and was clearly distressed.
No deference to those on the sidelines shouting anguished pleas to be left alone.
“They were approaching someone with a service animal and they were making a lot of noise in their space,” says her mother, Shelley DeLaFranier, trying to give her context.
“People shouldn’t be doing that even if you’re just asking for papers. It’s a question of awareness and education. “
In 2021, we know the power of social media to amplify injustices, cut through the din, and create positive change.
The palpable disgust with which the Milton staff treated a disabled person, based on public backlash, has proven to be a galvanizing force for what has been called “the last frontier of inclusion.”
“We are tremendously grateful to the person who took the video,” says DeLaFranier. “Without that video, none of this would have happened.”
Leckie comes from a nurturing family, which like many families of disabled people, cares for their well-being and tries to run interference.
When I interviewed him over the weekend, his mother and uncle were concerned that he might be too honest with the media, that he might say something that, because the world can be a cruel place, could cause more damage.
As someone with autistic family members, I understand the concerns, the need to advise, advocate, pave the way.
But Leckie, who has taken an overview of her experience and whose sense of right and wrong is absolute, says it’s about justice, plain and simple.
“You can’t mistreat someone and kick them out of a restaurant just because you don’t like them or because you have a chip on your shoulder,” he insists, determined to hold his attackers accountable.
“They attacked me. It is a violation of human rights ”.
The fact that no one from Milton reached out, and instead issued a media denial that they discriminate against service dogs, makes it worse.
“There is no feeling of remorse,” says Leckie, who hopes the incident will make restaurant owners more sensitive to people with disabilities.
“I’m not going to let them get away with it. They have to do better. “
Joel Rubinoff is a journalist and columnist for The Record in the Waterloo region. Contact him by email: [email protected]
Reference-www.thestar.com