[Washington Examiner] The DoubleTree Portland has dismissed a manager and security guard for evicting a black guest who was talking on his phone in the hotel's lobby.
Jermaine Massey, 34, was booted from the Hilton-owned property last week after he refused to tell security guard Earl Meyers, 71, his room number, according to local media reports.
Massey, a Washington state resident, had returned from a concert and was in the lobby calling his mother when the security guard asked him whether he was a guest. Massey held up his key card but refused to reveal which room he was staying in, OregonLive reported.
After the guard consulted the manager, the police were called to escort Massey to his room to collect his belongings and then out of the hotel, threatening to charge him with trespassing if he did not comply. Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that Massey called Meyers "racist" repeatedly.
Massey later shared on social media a video of the incident that he captured on his cellphone.
The manager and security guard were placed on leave Friday pending an external investigation before DoubleTree Portland announced Saturday that they had been fired.
"We have terminated the employment of the two men involved in the mistreatment of Mr. Massey," the hotel tweeted. "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." |