Gail Martin was having a meal at a restaurant in Jackson, SC. when her 4-year-old autistic daughter Alyssa began crying, WIS10 reports. Gail then heard a man yell at her from across the room who told her leave the restaurant. This man was neither a callous restaurant employee nor a drunk bar patron, it was the Jackson Police Chief, Dennis Rushton. “He said, ‘You need to pick her up and you need to get out of here now,'” Gail said. Details, inside…

The article says,

Even though he knew the child was autistic, he said he did ask the Martins to leave.

Gail says she feels like Chief Rushton should have been more understanding about what was going on with her autistic daughter.

“We can’t just lock them up, they have every right to be out in public like everyone else,” Gail said.

Now Gail hopes her story will bring more awareness about autism.

Gail said, “I wasn’t embarrassed of Alyssa’s behavior, I was embarrassed of the way it was handled.” Chief Rushton did not make a statement but did say that he thought Alyssa was being extremely loud and bothering other customers.

Since then, Rushton has agreed to go through training with the South Carolina Autism Society “to help him better understand the condition.” Also, the Martins plan to meet with the police commissioner at City Hall.

Obviously, nobody wants to hear a screaming child while they are dining out, but has society become so intolerant that when a child cries we should expect the police to order them out of the building?

Family ordered to leave restaurant because of crying child [WIS10]
(Photo: Getty)

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