Image: Facebook/DoubleTree Hotel Portland
One black man from the United States cried foul after he was racially profiled and discriminated by a hotel he was staying in, in Portland, Oregon.
The man, identified in reports as Jermaine Massey, took to social media on Dec. 23, Sunday after watching rapper Travis Scott perform. As he arrived in the lobby of the DoubleTree Hotel where he was checked in, he received a phone call from his mother.
Massey answered the phone call in a remote area of the lobby, but shared on his Instagram post that hotel security guard Earl decided to call the police on him.
“The security guard ‘Earl’ decided that he would call the police on me, the exact reason is still unclear to me,” Massey wrote on his Instagram post on Dec. 23 where he shared videos of the incident.
“He said that I was a safety threat to the other guests and that I was trespassing and said that I was a disturbance because I took a personal phone call from my mom in a more remote area of the lobby.”
In the series of videos Massey shared, Earl can be heard telling him the police are on their way. As per Massey, it was hotel manager “Luis” who called the cops.
“The manager who actually called the cops, ‘Luis’, actually asked me AFTER he called the cops, ‘what happened?'” he continued to say. “They already had in their minds that they didn’t want me there so I waited for the cops to show up and when they did, I explained my side of the story and they didn’t want to hear it.”
Massey was told by the cops to retrieve his personal items from his room and to leave the hotel.
“If I didn’t I would be considered a trespasser and would be thrown in jail,” he said. “I complied and cooperated and was not issued a refund for my room. I packed my stuff and went to another hotel.”
Massey was in disbelief of the hotel management’s treatment of him, saying it is never okay to discriminate against guests based on the color of their skin. He also called Earl a “disgrace” for calling the cops on him when he was just minding his own business.
“He wanted to prove a point and did it in the worst way. Not really shocked that this happened but just extremely disappointed,” he said. “I will be seeking justice. Believe that.”
Meanwhile, DoubleTree Hotel has since taken to their official Facebook account today, Dec. 27 (Dec. 26 in the United States) to address the issue.
The hotel wrote that the incident was unfortunate and apologized for how it was handled. They also said that they have reached out to Massey to resolve the matter.
“We are [a] place of public accommodation and place a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion,” they said. “Our hotel does not discriminate against any individual or group. We look forward to speaking with him.” JB
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