Joseph Ross, Motel 6 guest

According to Cincinnati’s Channel 9 WCPO, an Ohio man checked into a Sharonville Motel 6, only to be greeted with an unexpected and disturbing dose of racism. Dayton native, Joseph Ross turned on his room’s television only to see the words “Hello Ni**er!” appear on the center of the screen.

“I turned the TV on, laid back on the bed… I saw something on the screen and I was like ‘Ah, that ain’t there.’  So then I focused my eyes, and I couldn’t believe what was on there,” Ross commented.

Ross initially called Motel 6′s corporate offices, who said that they would get back to him within 30 days. He then contacted the Dayton chapter of the NAACP.  The chapter’s president, Derrick Forward, who can also corroborate the message, did not think it was a coincidence that this racist message appeared around the time of the predominantly black Macy’s Music Festival.  Christopher Smitherman, President of the Cincinnati NAACP recently posted to their website, “This behavior is despicable and un-American.”

Motel 6 release this statement in response to the incident:

At Motel 6, we are proud of the great diversity of the guests that we serve, and we are completely appalled by the offensive slur that appeared on our guest’s television screen Friday. We are investigating to determine how this mishap occurred, and after inspecting other rooms this appears to be an isolated incident.

Click here to watch the WCPO broadcast.

Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.