Two employees of a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Portland, Oregon, were terminated from their positions last week for allegedly profiling a black guest whom they claim refused to answer their questions.
During the altercation on Dec. 22, hotel guest Jermaine Massey reportedly stepped into an empty part of the hotel’s lounge to make what he claimed was an emergency phone call.
According to an initial report by Oregon Public Broadcasting, when security officer Earl Meyers, 71, saw Massey sitting alone in the lounge, he approached him and asked whether he was a guest.
What happened next is unclear, as the only video footage from the altercation begins slightly afterward and shows Meyers closely watching Massey as another employee calls the cops.
Watch:
“He’s calling the cops on me because I’m taking a phone call at the Double Tree hotel. … You came over here because I was taking a phone call in the area where no one was. I had a family emergency, and I was taking a phone call and this guy’s harassing me,” Massey says in the first video.
He uploaded a total of five videos to Instagram. None of the videos show what triggered the altercation.
Watch part two below:
When the authorities arrived, they escorted Massey to his room so he could retrieve his belongings and then walked him off the property. He reportedly complained the entire time.
“While he was getting his belongings he took the Bible from the hotel room and slid it across the carpet toward Meyers and told him he needed to read it and learn how to be a human,” a report by Portland Police Bureau officer Richard Harvey reportedly read.
Massey also reportedly repeatedly called Meyers a racist.
“Officer Harvey wrote in his report that Massey accused Meyers of ‘being a racist many times,'” PBO noted. “Massey then made a call, according to the report, telling the person on the other end that he was being ‘escorted out of his hotel by the police because of a racist security guard at the hotel,’ Harvey wrote. ‘He then said no I’m not being arrested because I didn’t resist the police.'”
The report mentioned Meyers’s side of the story as well:
“Meyer said the man refused to give a room number and he told the man if he couldn’t provide a room number he would have to ask him to leave the property,” Harvey wrote.
Watch part three below:
After Massey left, he shared the videos to Instagram, where they quickly went viral and caught the attention of the media. In turn, the hotel manager reportedly issued a statement.
“This unfortunate incident is likely the result of a misunderstanding between our hotel and guest,” he said. “We are sorry that this matter ended the way it did. We are a place of public accommodation and do not discriminate against any individuals or groups. We have reached out to the guest in order to resolve this matter.”
The manager reportedly tried to arrange a private meeting with Massey, but he refused, choosing instead to issue a statement through his attorneys last Thursday demanding that the hotel first issue a public statement that answers the following two questions:
“1. As the video shows, the incident took place in a quiet corner of the hotel lobby which was open to the public. At the time, Mr. Massey was returning a personal phone call from his mother who lives on the East Coast. Why was Mr. Massey approached by security? Why was he interrogated?”
“2. The security guard told Mr. Massey that he was a ‘threat to security,’ a statement echoed by the hotel chain’s press release, which states, ‘Safety and security of our guests and associates is our top priority.’ Please explain in detail in what manner Mr. Massey was a threat to safety or security.”
Watch part four below:
A day later the DoubleTree issued a public apology on Twitter and announced that Meyers and the other unnamed employee involved in the incident had been placed on leave.
Look:
We sincerely apologize to Mr. Massey for his treatment this past weekend, and deeply regret the experience he endured. It was unacceptable and contrary to our values, beliefs and how we seek to treat all people who visit our hotel. (1/4)
— DoubleTree Portland (@doubletreepdx) December 28, 2018
We have a zero-tolerance stance on discrimination of any kind, and do not tolerate behavior of that nature. (2/4)
— DoubleTree Portland (@doubletreepdx) December 28, 2018
We are seeking the counsel of community leaders, and will engage a third-party to conduct a full investigation into the incident – reviewing our internal processes, protocols and trainings to ensure we are creating and maintaining a safe space for everyone. (3/4)
— DoubleTree Portland (@doubletreepdx) December 28, 2018
The employees involved have since been placed on leave for the duration of this investigation, and we will take the appropriate measures to ensure this does not happen again. (4/4)
— DoubleTree Portland (@doubletreepdx) December 28, 2018
After public backlash, the hotel announced on Saturday that the two had been fired.
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
Watch part five below:
Social justice warriors on Twitter still remain deeply unhappy and willing to boycott the hotel.
Look:
It took you five days to figure out that harassing a paying guest in your own lobby was termination-worthy?
And you need “experts” to learn common decency and hospitality practices?
You should lose your @HiltonHotels and @doubletree affiliations.
— Chris Charla (@iocat) December 29, 2018
Black people, don’t get confused. This was done out of pressure not out of respect for diversity. Find another hotel and someone else to bake your cookies. https://t.co/1n3m9rdkM2
— Black’n Bougie (@cacaobourgeois) December 29, 2018
The entire management team, beginning with the GM, has to go.
— Scott Feighner (@Scottreadsbooks) December 29, 2018
If the guest didn’t record the video and post it on social media, but complained about the treatment, would you have done anything? That’s something to think about. Even when Doubletree saw the video, still took 5 days to do anything. Shameful response.
— Tracern (@Tracern1) December 29, 2018
The manager , and hr manager should be fired as well
I will boycott all Hilton properties in 2019 as my show of solidarity over this incident. Starwood here I come.
Shame , shame, shame— Joe Kaminkow (@KapowPinball) December 29, 2018
Too little, too late. This should have been your immediate response but now appears totally self-serving. I get regular inquiries from #craftbeer tourists about where they should stay when visiting Portland. I will never recommend @doubletree again, that’s for sure. #hotelearl
— Wolf L ? (@beerguypdx) December 29, 2018
Not enough. The police were called. He could have been seriously injured or killed. I’m not ok with that use of force on him and can only imagine the fear and trauma he must have experienced.
— Monica Fay (@MsMonicaFay) December 29, 2018
Did it honestly take public shaming to get you to do this? Sorry @doubletree and @HiltonHotels but no more business from me.
— Sue Love ? (@Data_Sue_ATX) December 29, 2018
I suspect @doubletree and @HiltonHotels sanction this sort of racist behavior when it’s not a PR nightmare. My guess is the goal is to minimize until the news cycle gets distracted and then it’ll be business as usual. I’m a regular at @hiltonlongbeach but won’t be in 2019.
— Christopher J. Nellum (@chrisnellum) December 30, 2018
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