In the dining room of a Houston, Texas steakhouse called Laurenzo’s on Washington, a server by the name of Michael Garcia is being lauded as something of a hero; deservedly so.
According to a piece in the Digital Journal, Garcia, an employee at the steakhouse for over two years, has been serving loyal patrons including the Castillo family, whose five year old son Milo, has Down Syndrome. One Wednesday night, another family sitting next to the Castillos, got up and moved tables, heading to the back of the restaurant.
Milo’s mother Kim Castillo is quoted in the piece as saying, “I thought- ‘I wonder if they’re moving because of us?’” Turns out, that’s exactly why the other family picked up and left, with a man in the group declaring, “Special needs children need to be special somewhere else.”
Pssst – check out these other brave acts that earned people “hero” accolades.
As a new mom, this goes beyond making me sad, it makes me furious! Why do special needs children need to be segregated? They don’t! According to the report, little Milo was merely eating his dinner with his family, not wreaking havoc, throwing a tantrum or doing anything else any typical 5-year-old might do. It’s 2013 and time to wake up to the fact that special needs kids and adults are valuable members of society- not some dirty little secret that need to be locked away so that idiotic “sensibilities” aren’t offended during dinner.
After the man made his ridiculous remark, Garcia informed the man that he wouldn’t and couldn’t serve him, resulting in the offending group quickly vacating the premises. Garcia is quoted as saying “It upset me. He’s a five year old little boy. He’s an angel. He’s precious!” That evening, the Castillos discovered what Garcia had done- he had stuck up for Milo and took a stand for dignity, for common decency and for fairness.
Facebook and twitter was alight with kudos for the server, one person suggesting he “get a raise and a paid vacation.” Restaurant management stands by his actions. Sticking up for the little guy, in this case a little guy name Milo, has, in my humble opinion scored karmic bonus points for Garcia and goodwill towards the steakhouse that praised his actions. Mostly, what Garcia did was make a family with a special son feel like valued members of society. We could all use a reminder that sticking up for the “underdog” can feel doggone glorious!
