Hotel Earl called police on Jermaine Massey for using his phone in hotel lobby.
A security guard dubbed “Hotel Earl” was caught on video calling the police on a black man for using his phone in the lobby of a Portland, Oregon DoubleTree.
Jermaine Massey filmed part of the incident when a security guard approached him while he was using his phone in the hotel lobby.
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Massey said in a video posted to Instagram that the guard told him he was a “safety threat” and accused him of trespassing. Portland Police confirmed to KGW that they responded to the call.
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Massey, who lives in Kent, Washington, was not arrested but was ordered to leave the hotel even though he had been staying there.
The hotel’s general manager said in a statement that the incident was the result of a “misunderstanding” and apologized for the incident.
Jermaine Massey Says ‘Hotel Earl’ Targeted Him Because of ‘Race’
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“From my point of view, it had to have been my race,” Massey said in a video posted to Instagram.
Massey had been staying at the Portland DoubleTree after traveling to Portland for the first time to watch a Travis Scott concert at the Moda Theater.
Massey said the security guard approached him and the police booted him from the hotel because he is black.
“There were other patrons in the lobby at the time — none of them were questioned about if they were staying there at the hotel or not, but I was…” Massey said on Instagram. “Judging someone based off of the color of their skin, you never know how it feels until you’ve actually been there, and that happened for me tonight. This isn’t the first time, but this is a real incident where I could have went to jail had I responded a different way, because I was talking on the phone in the lobby.”
Portland City Commissioner-elect Jo Ann Hadresty, who previously served as the head of the NAACP’s Portland branch, called on the hotel and police to rectify the situation.
“I was saddened by this whole experience. The gentleman who was profiled must have felt helpless,” Hardesty said, according to KGW. “I am disappointed with both the DoubeTree and the police response. The priority should be to make this customer whole and to retrain DoubleTree and Portland Police staff to make sure such a situation never happens again.”
The Hotel Apologized to Jermaine Massey After ‘Hotel Earl’ Video Went Viral
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Paul Peralta, the general manager of the Portland DoubleTree, issued a statement apologizing to Massey and said the hotel was working to resolve the issue with him.
“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,” Peralta said. “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. We have reached out to the guest in order to resolve this matter. I look forward to speaking with Mr. Massey today and resolving this issue directly with him.”
Police Say They Offered To Find Massey Another Hotel
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Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Chris Burley said in a statement to KGW that the hotel “requested officers respond to the location regarding a person who hotel staff were trespassing from the property.”
“The employees, who had authority to trespass people from the hotel, requested the officer contact a person in the lobby they had reportedly directed to leave the property. The officer spoke with the man, who gathered his items and left the location,” Burley said. “Prior to the man departing from the location, the Portland Police Bureau Officer offered the man assistance to a new hotel and at that time the man declined the offer.”
Burley added that the department has contacted Massey and hopes to learn how it can “assist” him.
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