Portland Hotel Calls Cops on Black Guest in Lobby

By Molly Harbarger, The Oregonian

27 December 18

 

ermaine Massey had just seen Travis Scott perform at the Moda Center on Sunday night and returned to his hotel when he saw that his mother had called.

She lives on the East Coast, so he assumed if she called so late, something must be wrong. So he sat down in the lobby of the DoubleTree Hotel in the Lloyd District to take the call before going up to his room.

Massey recounted what came next in a series of Instagram videos that have gone viral. Massey, from Kent, Washington, says in them that he was targeted by a security guard because he is black and that this led to Massey being kicked out of the hotel and having to find a new one near midnight.

It was his first time in Portland.

DoubleTree management released a statement that said the whole incident was a misunderstanding and that the hotel staff does not discriminate against people based on race.

Several people picked up the hashtag #HotelEarl after the name on the security guard’s badge. They, and Massey, draw parallels between his experience and similar incidents where people of color have had the cops called for political canvassing, renting an Airbnb or having a barbecue.

One of Massey’s videos shows where he was sitting, tucked away in a group of comfortable chairs away from the main part of the lobby. Massey, 34, said he was sitting there when a white security guard approached him and interrupted Massey’s phone call to ask if Massey was a staying at the hotel.

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

Massey said he was. The guard then asked what room number.

According to Massey, that is when he became irritated and told the guard that he was on a phone call and that he doesn’t remember his room number off the top of his head.

The guard then had a manager call police. In the recording of the incident Massey posted, the guard says that he was calling the cops because Massey was loitering, despite Massey holding his room key card.

Massey said in a video after the incident that the guard told him he thought Massey was a threat to other people’s safety.

Massey, who was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with bright lettering, jeans and sneakers, contended that the white guests who were walking in and out of the hotel and milling about the lobby were not stopped. Several times, he suggests that he was singled out because he was black, to which neither the manager or guard responds.

After the manager called the police, he asked Massey and the guard what happened and told Massey to “calm down” and that the guard had the right to alert police and wouldn’t have done so without cause.

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 2:04am PST

Portland police then arrived and escorted Massey out of the hotel. He was allowed to get his belongings from his room and check out at the front desk while police waited.

A police report describes Massey as very angry and loud. Once they arrived, the police officers told Massey to go ahead and check out of the hotel because the dispute escalated.

An officer told Massey outside the hotel that he had no way of knowing if the incident was fueled by racism, but that Massey should follow up with his complaints with hotel management so he wouldn’t have to be arrested for trespassing.

Massey then declined a ride to another hotel and took a Lyft to the Sheraton near the airport, according to the videos.

“It just goes to show you that racism is still alive and well man,” Massey said from his room at the Sheraton that night. “This was a real incident where I could’ve gone to jail if I responded in a different way.”

Massey did not respond to interview requests. He posted videos and tweets about the incident on several social media platforms, which gained steam over night and into Monday morning. Many call for the security guard and manager to be fired. Others point that Massey is part of a larger trend of black people being seen as a threat for existing.

This is sick. @doubletreepdx @doubletree I attend #tikikon annually, and since you employ this obviously racist mall cop, I’ll sadly have to reconsider attending in 2019, and def won’t stay at yr property unless you fire #hotelearl and Luis. Sry @tikikon https://t.co/8IOS4FWpL7

— Stephen W. (@StephenSailsPDX) December 24, 2018

Paul Peralta, general manager of the DoubleTree, said Monday that he has reached out to Massey to try to amend the situation.

“Safety and security of our guests and associates is our top priority at the Doubletree by Hilton Portland,” Peralta said in a statement. “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.”