At LifeNews over the years we have profiled a number of cases of how disabled or disfigured people are terribly treated in society.
It’s a shame when unborn children become victims of abortion because they have some sort of physical or mental disability that supposedly makes them “less than perfect.” It’s also a shame when people with some sort of disability or disfigured condition are treated poorly by society simply because they don’t “look like everyone else.
In this case, a grandmother of a 3-year-old girl who was viciously attacked by three dogs says she was asked to leave a KFC in Jackson, Mississippi by an employee who said the girl’s scars were scaring other customers.
A spokesman says KFC is also giving $30,000 toward her medical bills.
Spokesman Rick Maynard told The Associated Press that the donation will be made regardless of what the investigation finds.
“KFC launched an investigation as soon as we were made aware of this report. We take this very seriously, as we have zero tolerance for any kind of hurtful or disrespectful actions toward our guests. Our investigation is ongoing, but we will make things right for this beautiful little girl and her family, and will work with the franchisee to take appropriate action at the restaurant,” Maynard wrote in an email to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.
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“They just told us, ‘We have to ask you to leave because her face is disrupting our customers,’” Kelly Mullins, Victoria Wilcher’s grandmother, told WAPT-TV. “She understood exactly what they said.”
Mullins said she was driving her granddaughter home from the hospital in early June when they stopped at KFC for mashed potatoes.
The dog attack, Mullins explained, has made it difficult for her granddaughter to swallow.
“The right side of her face is paralyzed,” Mullins said. “She’s got a lot of surgeries to go through and she won’t even look in the mirror anymore. When we go to a store, she doesn’t even want to get out [of the car]. She’s 3 years old and she’s embarrassed about what she looks like.”
The incident, Mullins said, left the girl in tears.
“No matter what’s wrong with a person, if a person’s different, if a person’s scarred, or is a different color or anything, people shouldn’t be discriminated against,” Mullins continued. “Her being 3 years old and already being discriminated against, it makes me mad, because I know for the rest of her life it’s going to be like that.”
KFC investigated the incident and its officials say they are upset at how the little girl was treated and the company is now giving her $30,000 compensation for how she was treated.
“We take this very seriously, as we have zero tolerance for any kind of hurtful or disrespectful actions toward our guests,” KFC spokesman Rick Maynard said in a statement. “Our investigation is ongoing, but we have been in touch with the family and are committed to doing something appropriate for this beautiful little girl and her family. We will also work with the franchisee to take appropriate action at the restaurant once the specifics of the incident are determined.”
A Facebook page launched in April to give friends updates on Victoria’s recovery has garnered more than 30,000 likes, thanks in large part to a post about her experience at KFC.
KFC, it’s worth noting, responded on Facebook the next day.
“Please accept our sincere apologies while we try to investigate this incident,” the restaurant wrote in a comment. “If you could help provide details of the incident … we will look into this immediately. We have zero tolerance for any kind of disrespectful behavior by our team members. Once we have further details, we will immediately investigate this and take action, and we wish nothing but the best for Victoria in her recovery.”
A donation page set up to help Victoria’s family pay her medical bills has raised nearly $20,000.
