[nfbwatlk] Living History: Justice for Jackie...Now

[Mike Freeman]

Braille Monitor
December 1986 


Justice for Jackie...Now


In the November, 1985, issue of the Braille Monitor we carried an article
entitled "No Justice for Jackie . . . Yet-But the Battle Has Just Begun." In
that article we told the story of Jackie Galloway, a blind woman from Port
Townsend, Washington. She went to a local theater with her two daughters and
two grandchildren on a Saturday afternoon (to be exact, it was March 9,
1985) to see "Pinocchio"--about as innocent an act as one could hope to
find; as American as apple pie.

But that is not how it ended. She was told by the theater owner that she
could not come in unless she left her guide dog outside. She was humiliated
at the scene which was caused and embarrassed and frightened at the
confrontation. Moreover, at that time she was not only not a Federationist
but had never heard of the organization. Nevertheless, she knew what was
right and stood her ground. Finally, after being badgered and subjected to
verbal abuse by the theater owner (a Mr. Wiley), she left in tears.

Contact was made with the Federation, and Jackie Galloway and the organized
blind of Washington set out to see that justice was done. We demanded that
Mr. Wiley be prosecuted under Washington's White Cane Law. But the public
prosecutor (a friend of Mr. Wiley's) wouldn;t bring charges. We persisted.
It took a demonstration in Port Townsend, an intensified public education
campaign, and a lawsuit--but we were determined to have justice. In the
November, 1985, Braille Monitor we were compelled to begin with the headline
"No Justice for Jackie...Yet."

However, that was a year ago, and as we have so often observed, we have a
waay of persisting until we achieve our objective. We can now report:
"Justice for Jackie." In the Fall, 1986, Blind Washingtonian (the newsletter
of the National Federation of the Blind of Washington) Ben Prows writes as
follows:

Galloway Case Upholds White Cane Law: Wiley Not So Wiley Anymore

by Ben Prows

Federationists from throughout Washington and Oregon will long remember a
protest march held on July 20, 1985. We marched in Port Townsend to protest
against the barring of Jackie Galloway and her dog guide Lassie from the
Uptown Theater by theater owner Mr. Richard Wiley. We will remember the
months of battles to get the county prosecutor to uphold the White Cane Law
by bringing charges against Mr. Wiley. We will remember the prosecutor's
refusal to do his duty as a public official, forsaking the people and the
law for a friend. We will remember the day when Jackie Galloway stood up for
her rights as a blind citizen and brought suit in civil court to recover at
least some of the damage she suffered as a result of Mr. Wiley's arrogant
disregard for the law. We will remember the long months of waiting for a
court date, and the disappointment of delays in the trial for one reason or
another. We will also remember that Jackie stood up to the town and hung in
there despite some criticism and attacks from some sectors of the community.

Most of all, we will remember the day in July, 1986, when Jackie had her
trial. The judge directed the jury to find that the White Cane Law had been
violated by Mr. Wiley. The jury also found that Mr. Wiley was negligent in
his treatment of Mrs. Galloway an awarded Jackie $6,550 in damages. This is
a victory not only for Jackie Galloway but for all blind people of this
state and throughout the nation. It took an attorney such as Bill Knebes who
understood the issue to convince the judge and jury that Jackie Galloway
must be treated as a first-class citizen. If Mr. Wiley had gotten away with
a violation of the White Cane Law, you can rest assured that other owners of
public accommodations would have followed suit. 

Jackie Galloway is not only a first class citizen but an example of a first
class Federationist. Though there is no chapter in Port Townsend and though
there are few blind persons in the town, Jackie hung in there and fought for
her rights. She persisted. She won a victory for herself and a victory for
the blind.

The NFB provided technical assistance and support to Jackie throughout the
ordeal. Scott Lewis, a long-time Federationist from Port Angeles, was
instrumental in providing information for Mr. Knebes and keeping in contat
with Jackie. Bob Eschbach came to Port Townsend to be an expert witness
since he is the national chairman of the Dog Guide Committee and a national
Board Member. The testimony that Mr. Eschbach and Mrs. Galloway gave
destroyed Mr. Wiley's claim that safety prevented him from letting the dog
into the theater. 

The Jackie Galloway case again demonstrates the will of the blind to live
normal, productive lives as equal partners with their sighted peers. 

Jackie Galloway has now discovered the National Federation of the Blind and
says that she hopes to be at the state convention in October in Vancouver.
The case is just another reason "Why the National Federation of the Blind."