Hotel fires employees who asked black guest to leave while on phone with his mom

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Two Portland DoubleTree employees who forced a Black guest to leave in a viral incident labeled as “calling his mother while black” are now unemployed after hotel chain officials fired them, CNN reports.

In a statement provided to the outlet, the hotel said:

“We have terminated the employment of the two men involved in the mistreatment of Mr. Massey,” the hotel said on Twitter.

“Their actions were inconsistent with our standards & values. We reiterate our sincere apology for what he endured & will work with diversity experts to ensure this never happens again.”

We have terminated the employment of the two men involved in the mistreatment of Mr. Massey. Their actions were inconsistent with our standards & values. We reiterate our sincere apology for what he endured & will work with diversity experts to ensure this never happens again.

— DoubleTree Portland (@doubletreepdx) December 29, 2018

This is yet another case of #LivingWhileBlack, Jermaine Massey said last week that he was “treated unfairly” and ultimately removed from the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel after a security guard said he was loitering in the lobby.

—Black man says he was kicked out of hotel lobby for talking to his mom on cell phone—

However, Massey was on a cellphone call with his mother and said he was racially profiled while standing in the lobby.

Massey was in the area to attend a Travis Scott concert  and had booked a room at the hotel and even had his key in hand when a guard approached him and started asking questions.

Massey, a Black man, said the security guard, who was white and identified in a video as “Earl,” told him he was loitering as he stood in the hotel lobby to take a call from his mother, who he said lives on the East Coast.

—Rutgers’ study links media images to how Black men are negatively viewed by police—

Earl reportedly asked Massey if he was a guest at the hotel  and what follows was a back and forth interaction that he detailed on Instagram which resulted in a call to the Portland police.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Tonight I was racially profiled and discriminated against for taking a phone call in the lobby of my hotel room at the @doubletreepdx @doubletree. The security guard “Earl” decided that he would call the police on me, the exact reason is still unclear to me. 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. The manager who actually called the cops, “Luis” actually asked me AFTER he called the cops, what happened? 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. They asked me if I had personal items in my room (which of course I did) and asked me to go retrieve them. They told me that since the hotel requested me to leave, that if I didn’t I would be considered a trespasser and would be thrown in jail. I complied and cooperated and was not issued a refund for my room. I packed my stuff and went to another hotel. I cannot believe the level of professionalism that this hotel property had with me tonight. It is never ok to discriminate against guests for the color of their skin and to prejudge them based on your own bias against that race. Earl is a disgrace, calls himself a man but calls the Portland Police Dept on a man who was minding his own business in the lobby of his hotel. I had my hotel key in my hand the entire conversation, he knew I was a guest. He wanted to prove a point and did it in the worst way. Not really shocked that this happened but just extremely disappointed. I will be seeking justice. Believe that. @doubletree @doubletreepdx @hiltonhonors #hilton #hiltonhotels #racism #racisminamerica #racismisreal @shaunking

A post shared by m a i n e (@mymainereason) on Dec 23, 2018 at 2:02am PST

Ultimately when a manager named Luis came to intervene, he followed along with the security’s guard’s request to call the cops on Massey.

Massey asked the manager why he was calling the police. “I was just asked to,” he responded “So you’re just going to follow directions? You’re not going to ask questions before you call the cops on me?” Massey asks. “If you could just calm down,” the manager is heard saying. He then asks what the issue was about.

Massey was stunned by the manager’s willingness to blindly follow Earl’s orders. When police arrived, Massey was escorted to his room to collect his belongings and forced to leave.

On Friday, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler spoke out against the actions of the employees.

“It is deeply troubling to hear about Mr. Massey’s experience with discrimination,” he tweeted. “No one should be treated this way, and I hope this serves as a catalyst for necessary changes that address the systemic nature of discrimination of all forms.”

It is deeply troubling to hear about Mr. Massey’s experience with discrimination. No one should be treated this way, and I hope this serves as a catalyst for necessary changes that address the systemic nature of discrimination of all forms. https://t.co/rYpQCL9x3g

— Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) December 28, 2018

According to The Oregonian, Paul Peralta, general manager of the DoubleTree tried to reach out to Massey. He released this statement in response to the incident:

“Safety and security of our guests and associates is our top priority at the DoubleTree by Hilton Portland. This unfortunate incident is likely the result of a misunderstanding between our hotel and guest. We are sorry that this matter ended the way it did. We are place of public accommodation and do not discriminate against any individuals or groups.”

The DoubleTree plans to enlist a third party to investigate and review its “internal processes, protocols and training to ensure we are creating and maintaining a safe space for everyone.”