White security guard calls police on black man for taking a phone call in hotel lobby

A guest a hotel in Portland, Oregon, was reported to the police by a member of staff because he was taking a phone call in the lobby.

Jermaine Massey, who was visiting the town for a Travis Scott concert, was staying at the DoubleTree Hotel when he was approached by a man named 'Earl', who worked as a security guard for the hotel.

After Massey returned from the concert on Saturday night he received an emergency phone call from his mother, which he took in a seating area in the hotel lobby.

As he was speaking to his mother, the 34-year-old was approached by the guard, who interrupted his phone call and asked if he was staying at the hotel.

According to The Oregonian,Massey claims to have told Earl that he was staying in the hotel, but he became irritated when Massey couldn't remember the number of his hotel room which led to him calling the police.

In a series of videos posted on Instagram, we can see Massey attempt to find out why Earl was calling the police, before being approached by a manager and then eventually a police officer.

Massey wrote on the Instagram post that Earl believed he was a "safety threat to the other guests" and was "trespassing" and creating a "disturbance" by taking the phone call.

In another series of videos, Massey said that he had been 'racially profiled' by the staff at the hotel, who persisted with the call to police despite him producing the door key to his room before adding that he was 'disappointed' but not 'shocked' by what had happened.

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 colour of their skin.

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.

Not really shocked that this happened but just extremely disappointed. I will be seeking justice.

Once the police arrived, he was told to go and retrieve any personal items from his room. With the threat of being arrested, he decided to leave the hotel without a refund.

Paul Peralta, a manager from that location, told The Oregonian that the incident was likely to have been a 'misunderstanding' between the staff and the guest.

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. We are sorry that this matter ended the way it did.

HT New York Post

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