Mom claims movie theater discriminated against her son

A Park Slope mother claims a Williamsburg movie theater discriminated against her son with extreme food allergies. Daniel Desouza, 9, has eosinophilic esophagitis, a chronic immune system disease.

News 12 Staff

Oct 22, 2016, 4:59 AM

Updated 2,834 days ago

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A Park Slope mother claims a Williamsburg movie theater discriminated against her son with extreme food allergies.
Daniel Desouza, 9, has eosinophilic esophagitis, a chronic immune system disease. Because of the severity of his allergies and the fear of cross-contamination, he only eats food specially prepared by his family, and that's what he brought with him to Williamsburg Cinemas with his cousin Sunday night.
Desouza tried to bring a lunchbox containing chicken, French fries, grapes and popcorn into the theater, but was not allowed.
The theater says in a statement, "We have a no outside food or drink policy, but we did offer to hold the food until they wanted to eat in the lobby or pick up after the show. The film was less than 2 hours run time."
Desouza's mother, Gladys Gardner, says she thinks exceptions could have been made, considering her son's extenuating circumstances.


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