Protesters rallied in front of Clock Restaurant on Saturday morning in response to the manager’s treatment of a Gulf War veteran and his small dog.
On Tuesday, disabled war veteran Jeff Woods ate at the restaurant with his friend Steve Hamilton and his dog, according to a report by responding Gainesville Police Officer Crystal Castor. Tanya Maddux, restaurant manager, walked up to Woods and asked that he put his service dog on the floor. However, the dog was on a blanket and not making contact with the booth, therefore following the Health Department guidelines.
“The woman was very rude, abrasive, argumentative, belligerent,” Hamilton said, referring to Maddux. Hamilton, also a veteran, said he wishes people were educated on veterans with disabilities.
“He was upset at how he was treated and how these people were taught to treat his service dog,” Hamilton said, referring to Woods.
After reading an article about Woods and his dog, the Rev. Milford Lewis Griner organized the protest.
“I always respond when acts of injustice take place against anybody,” said Griner, who is the founder and president of the Rosa Parks Quiet Courage Committee. “This is how we all should be when someone’s not treated fairly.”
A group of about 10 people arrived at 10 a.m. Saturday, waving banners and flags on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant for a couple hours. Members of the Gainesville chapter of Veterans for Peace also showed their support.
Paul Ortiz, a military veteran and member of Veterans for Peace, was one of the protestors. He said he was happy to see so many people participate in the rally.
“We’re not trying to create a confrontation,” Ortiz said. “We’re just trying to educate people about the conditions that veterans face.”
Maddux would not comment about the protest or Tuesday’s incident.
Though Woods said he was not feeling well enough to talk when asked to comment on the protest, he did say that he was appreciative “that somebody else cares.”
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 1/26/2015 under the headline “Protest supports veteran, service dog outside the Clock"]
Cody Anderson, a member of the Military Support Group of Alachua County, holds a flag during the protest against Clock Restaurant on Saturday morning. “I felt it was important to support Mr. Woods,” Anderson said. “I felt that the way he was treated was not only illegal but immoral.”
