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The DoubleTree in Portland, Oregon fired two employees who called the cops on a black customer, the hotel announced on Saturday. 34-year-old Jermaine Massey had said that staffers had confronted him because he was just returning a call from his mother.
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
Massey posted video of the incident to Instagram this past week. He said he was racially profiled when a security guard had the cops called on him for an unclear reason.
“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,” he wrote. Massey claimed that the manager who actually called the cops asked him after the fact what had happened.
He said he was forced to pack up his things from his room and leave.
DoubleTree initially commented on the matter on Friday.
“It is deeply troubling to hear about Mr. Massey’s experience with discrimination,” wrote Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler. “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.”
[Screengrab via Jermaine Massey]
