The main issue is not why a black man was asked if he was a guest. Instead, the issue is why he was thrown out once that was established.
I’ve held off on commenting on this case, because I did not want to jump to any conclusions and be embarrassed once again. But now that the hotel has responded, it is time to weigh in.
You might start by watching all the videos here and here. These tell the story from the POV of the guest.
Jermaine Massey, a black guest at the DoubleTree hotel in Portland, was sitting in the lobby late at night. He was wearing athletic shoes, jeans, and a hoodie and his feet were propped on the couch. He had just returned from a concert and received an unexpected call from his mother. Rather than head upstairs, he sat down in the lobby to take the call. After a few minutes on the phone, a hotel security guard approached him and asked if he was a guest.
Massey became annoyed and asked the guard to leave him alone. The guard again asked if he was a guest at the hotel and Massey said yes. The guard asked what room number and Massey allegedly said he did not remember. Massey attempted to return to his conversation, but the security guard radioed the manager on duty to call 9-11.
The manager approached and asked what was going on. Massey asked why he called the police before finding out what was going on. The manager asked if he was a guest and Massey said yes, pulling out his room key/envelope which had his room number written on it.
The security guard’s reaction on video suggests that Massey had not produced this earlier. Nevertheless, the police request was not cancelled. The cops showed up.
On Instagram, Massey explained what happened next:
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.
Police offered to drive Massey to another hotel, but he refused and took a Lyft to the nearby Sheraton.
The Hotel’s Response
Paul Peralta, the hotel’s General Manager told a local CBS affiliate:
The safety, security and comfort of our guests and associates is our top priority at the Doubletree by Hilton Portland. This incident that occurred over the holidays between our hotel and guest is unfortunate. We are sorry that this matter ended the way it did and have reached out to the gentleman in order to resolve this matter. We are place of public accommodation and place a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion and our hotel does not discriminate against any individual or group. We look forward to speaking with him.
This marked an elaboration from his initial statement to the Oregonian:
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.
Missing from his statement: will Massey will receive a full refund plus compensation?
My Thoughts
I often find myself in hotel lobbies taking phone calls or working late when I do not want to disturb my wife or business partner. In fact, I’ve spent more nights than I care to remember working in hotel lobbies. Not once have I been asked whether I was a guest at the hotel. We must ask ourselves why. Is it because I am white and generally more formally dressed?
Let’s be blunt: it was a casually dressed man in a city that has a serious homeless problem. The hotel has a security guard for a reason. Thus, I don’t fault the hotel for asking Massey if he was a guest.
It seems to me, and I could be wrong, that Massey never actually showed the guard his room key until the duty manager showed up. If you watch the video, you’ll see the security guard’s reaction to the room key: it appeared he had not previously seen it and explained that Massey was deemed a loiterer because he had refused to tell him his room number.
So up until this point, I hold Massey to blame. Yes, it is annoying to be asked to verify your status as a guest. But unlike the other guests wandering through the lobby to their room or sitting the in bar, he was sitting in a private part of the lobby with his feet up on the couch. He may well have faced discrimination on the basis of his skin color or attire, but he certainly was singled out for sitting in a deserted part of the lobby late at night.
But once it was established that Massey was a hotel guest, why was he asked to leave? Why didn’t the manager apologize, explain the hotel has a problem with loiterers, and ask for forgiveness and understanding? Why did the manager still decide to throw out Massey? What harm did he pose? Did he not have a right, as a hotel guest, to sit in the lobby while taking a phone call?
CONCLUSION
This is a sad story. As best I can, I feel Massey’s pain that he felt guilty until proven innocent. It annoys me too when someone does not take my word for something and wants more proof. But perhaps he could have been a little more understanding of why the hotel had a security guard in the first place. In one of his own videos, he admits why he appeared suspicious. That said, this hotel owes Massey much more than an apology. Once it was established that he was a guest, it seems he was thrown out for spite. That is simply unacceptable.
Massey has enlisted the aide of the Portland law firm Kafoury & McDougal, which has already issued an accusatory press release.
What do you think about this incident?
> Read More: What Does A Lying Imbecile Teach Us About Airline Compensation And Truth Itself?
Not once have I read anywhere whether Massey enjoyed the Travi$ Scott concert.
LOL.
I can’t believe rap has come to this….Travi$ Scott…
“it was a casually dressed man in a city that has a serious homeless problem. The hotel has a security guard for a reason. Thus, I don’t fault the hotel for asking Massey if he was a guest.” And prior to that you state “He was wearing athletic shoes, jeans, and a hoodie”
So to clarify, because he was black and in this attire he could be confused with someone homeless so it’s worth asking if he stays there? What type of undertone bull shit are you trying to stay. So a white guy in sneakers and jeans and a hoodie doesn’t look homeless and worth asking? Also to ask twice if he’s a guest and him say yes especially IF he indeed showed a room key shows how racist this situation was. Also like I said on someone else’s article, how many times have you walked into a hotel not be noticed by hotel staff? All the time? Yeah well when your dark skinned I notice every time that they notice me, they take note of me so to think this casually dressed African American male who just got out of a concert could somehow be confused with a homeless person that SNUCK in to the hotel without being noticed and then started a phone call (cause homeless people set up in random hotels and start calling people?) is beyond me.
So when you sit in the lobby and do work in the late evening your always in a suit so as not to be confused with someone homeless since all it takes is jeans and a hoodie? ( you must be quite rich the think jeans and a hoodie is homeless attire, I’m sorry I’m only a peasant) It’s laughable your inability to see how race affected not only the start but the process and outcome of this situation, but what should I expect that’s your “I have money and am white so I don’t have to fully understand” privilege right, so I guess it’s expected.
Even in your words of “sympathy” I can read between the lines and see where you’ve placed blame.
Every time we see situations like this people like you say “we have to get both sides first” but guess what, only racists say that Where obvious racism has been shown. Need i say more. Enjoy your racist day 🙂 lol
In dismissing my genuine empathy, you obscure my unequivocal words: the hotel had no business throwing out Massey. There is simply no defense of the hotel’s actions once it had been established that the Massey was a guest.
But you fail to address the inconsistencies of the story, namely that the video seems to indicate that Massey only showed his his room card when confronted by the duty manager, not earlier to the guard.
Like Massey, it would have annoyed me to have to give my room number. With a more visually-driven memory, I also sometimes forget it and have to consult my room card envelope. But I would have given my room number instead of refusing until the police were called…
As to your question on my attire, no I don’t wear gym shoes and hoodies. It’s not because I dress objectively better, but as a style preference. I also don’t wear a suit. But since you have brought up a suit, do you think Massey would have been questioned had he worn a suit?
I 100 percent think he would not have been asked a question had he been wearing a suite. Had he been wearing a polo shirt or a button up shirt and slacks he wouldn’t have been questioned. That continues with my point. We’ve got to dress to a certain degree for us not to look a certain way but I’m positive you could sit in a lobby for hours in pajamas and not get questioned once about why your there. This is painfully obvious, are you really asking cause your that blind? Lol oh little Matty as your man trump would say.
Just because, someone dressed in way to be comfortable doesn’t give the right to profile another. No matter the race.case close.
@ Matthew — I believe you have genuinely attempted to empathize with this man, but failed. I know you meant well, but you likely don’t “get it” with the situation. It seems the guy was clearly picked on due to his race. The look of shock from the security guard only confirms that he was being racist.
Thanks all! Matthew failed miserably!
Every time you dismiss the obvious and focus on what makes white people feel better for heartless, careless, blatant racism; you destroy the opportunity to actually realistically deal with this problem surfacing more and more in America! You maintained that you have never been confronted, so you have no idea what that feels like especially in that we pay the same amount for our rooms, but are treated less than! Even if he did not show his key to the guard, once it was shown to the manger that should have ended this incident. But no, the racism continued! Until white folk like you become outraged by this behavior, it will continue, as many like you find justification for what was done! Step up! Call this out! Challenge yourself and any thing in you that would find this acceptable! I am sure you can do this!
You were right on with the article. The only thing I’m wondering is if the guest was doing anything to attract attention or disturb other guests. Maybe an argument on the phone at higher volume levels or anything like that, but I’ve read nothing to suggest that was the case. I just know that there are almost always untold parts of news stories that can change my opinion from one side to the other. We can only draw conclusions from the information we’re givin though.
Sadly, we do not have the full story and never will.
Racism does exist, but there are other factors too that aren’t being addressed as well. It was late. Was he loud? Using vulgar language? Did he get an attitude when asked to produce his room key? Apparently he didn’t show his key until after the cops arrived. The homeless problem is a huge one, in every major metro area in this country. Hotels are very strict regarding this.
From what we saw, it does look like very unfair treatment. But again, we never see the whole picture. Anyone remember the Chipotle incident regarding the dine and dasher? All that outrage and hate led to the manager being fired…..
After the truth came out, there was nothing but silence. She did get her job back but the damage was already done.
Sheep love a good controversial story.
Look, it’s beyond simple. If black people would stop being dicks to authority figures, this wouldn’t have happened. He was asked a question and instead of acting like a civilized person, he decided to not answer questions and be a dick. I would have thrown his ass out too, I have no tolerance for entitled behavior. Plus, we all know if the security guard was black, he would have answered the question, but he didn’t cause he doesn’t like white people. He is a racist so rather than face his own racism, he pretends others are racist towards him. Fuck him for being a dick and the two fired employees should sue for unlawful termination and sue the black guy for slander. (btw, before you racist fools call out my white priviledge, I’m hispanic and born in south america, so shove you b.s. fake white priviledge crap up your @$$.)
I agree the guard has the right to ask for the guest’s room number….here is the problem….the manager had already called 911 before approaching the guest…he asks what the problem is after he had made the call…also the guest thought it was a family emergency when he was taking the call…would it have been prudent to wait for the guest to finish the call or ask the manager to intervene before taking the drastic step of calling the cops?. Nonetheless, the matter should have been defused after the guest produced the key. Also, after the call to 911 was placed, the manager saunters over and the guest explains the situation. The guard says not anymore when the guest confirms he is a guest at the hotel.
This incident is not due to guest’s actions. Race may have played a part, but the biggest factor was Earl Meyers’s attitude. He is a cop, just one with a second job. He was a cop, I don’t think his LE career would continue after this incident. Because he is now a ‘racist Brady cop’. Every arrest of black, brown, and blue skinned Pandoran alien, he makes, is going to be colored by his actions, and be excluded from court testimony. As cops know, a ‘Brady cop’ is a dead career walking cop. .Unfortunate, that LE officers get so little , that they have to moonlight. But the attitude of today’s cops that they have to be in charge, and be right , in that moment, and if it turns put that they were wrong, well that’s just too bad. He carried that attitude into a civilian job, where such mind set does not belong, needlessly escalated a situation with a paying guest, evicted him from his room in the middle of night, and got himself and hotel manager fired. Good job Earl! You really earned your meager pay that night. Out police officers have turned into assholes, and douche-bags.
I agree. That guy, being black, probably has put up with that type of thing many times in his life an this was another in a long line. Matthew is bending over way too far backwards to see the authority point of view here.
oh please. with my hispanic name, I have come across all kinds of racism (and no, not mostly from white people, I grew up in black neighborhoods so I experienced real racism and it was mostly from non-white neighbors) and I would still not be an ahole like this guy was. He was being an ahole against authority, it has NOTHING to do with any past experiences he has had (which, btw, this isn’t 1940, so chances are he has never come across any real racism, just fake racism like what happened at the hotel.)
@yourundertoneracismisshowing
I’m a non-white minority and I agree with Matthew. Under the situation that Matthew described (homeless problem being an issue in that part of town, having a security guard, etc.) it completely makes sense for security to make sure anyone who they think may not be a guest at the hotel not be allowed on the premise.
Since it seems likely that Massey did not initially show his room number and key card to the security guard, the guard had no idea he was a guest. Don’t you think that many non-guests (including homeless people) have lied to the hotel staff and security about being guests before? In that situation you can’t just take a person’s word for it.
Why do you have to jump immediately to racism and attack someone. Especially because you don’t even give a semblance of a real name or identity. It’s easy to take pot shots when you are anonymous.
My name is William Trinkle and I live in the 98661 zip code does that help. Am I scared now?
@william (trinkle)
No it doesn’t because no one knows if you are lying or not. If you wanted to be genuine, you should have put your name in the first place.
Homelesss….??? I’m not gonna write a long drawn out response but let’s just say that I saw his attire which included a NEW concert sweater and NEW Puma sneakers that actually came out days before that retail for over $110!!! In otherwords NOTHING about his attire says HOMELESS!! Also… when did homeless people start taking CELL PHONE calls??
Most homeless have cell phones (Tracphone). They are not that expensive.
Really, dude probably had an iPhone and $400 Jordan’s. Pretty easy to discern he was not homeless. The guard being a 71 year old white security guard obviously doesn’t know better and in my opinion racist since when it was decided he was a paid guest threw him out anyway?? WTF? Sorry for Massey’s trouble but, it appears he’ll get financial compensation for this one. I saw a black newscaster guy on a major network indicate he was recently asked for his room number or key. This guy was probably far better educated and miles more class than anyone in the entire hotel, but singled out for his room key. Some white folks saw exactly what was happening and spoke up saying, “I’m standing right here, you didn’t ask for my room number or key!” People are generally running on fear and our President is perpetuating more of it everyday. Many whites have no black friends and generally don’t know how to relate to black people… AT ALL! Society has a long ass way to go.
blaming the president. lol your entire argument is defeated because blaming Trump for racism is idiotic. If anything, Trump is showing who the true racists in this country are (and their skin color isn’t light.)
I’m from Portland, OR but have lived in Los Angeles the past decade. Earl was absolutely picking on Mr. Massey who (unfortunately for Earl since he’s now on leave) was a registered guest, married & employed at Amazon. He’s hired a prestigious attorney in Portland & will be overly compensated for the public embarrassment, as he should be. They picked on the wrong person this time, he remained calm, I would’ve flipped out. They put him out on the street, didn’t apologize or bother to refund him. I’m unsure why people continue this crap as we are in the age of technology & everything is recorded. Earl & the manager are now sitting at home wondering how they’ve been placed on leave over evicting a black man The police confirmed Massey’s account of everything that happened, I’m waiting to see how quickly they settle this case. As the story has gone viral, celebs are commenting in Massey’s favor, thousands are threatening to boycott, now Doubletree PDX has to respond & swiftly. This isn’t the 60’s anymore Earl♀️#justice4Massey
“YourUndertoneRacismIsShowing“
What a deliciously ironic screen name. By that user name and your comments, you have inadvertently proven that blacks can be as racist as whites.
You just learned this now? Countless black only organizations and schools and you are just now realizing that black people are racists? lol Here’s something else you might not know, Oranges are juicy. LOL
You summed it up beautifully and I couldn’t agree more with you. Since I started reading this blog I noticed Matthew displayed on more than one occasion plenty of “white privilege” commentary peppered with general lack of empathy unless he was “wronged” on various topics that caused me to pause & reread the sentence just to end up thinking to myself what your screen name clearly implies. Well done Sir. Oh, the reason I was back to this blog reading this in the first place is that when I saw the topic on my Travel list Twitter feed I suspected this kind of tone-deaf take & voila it was delivered.
You really are an idiot. Portland has the worst homeless issue of any major city and Massey certainly could pass for a bum. It was late at night. As a white guy who went to Stanford I’d expect to be asked if I were in the lobhy late at night wearing an old hoody and unshaven. Massey was a rude prick to the security guard who made a perfectly, by anyone’s standards, request.
No, fool….. you are the idiot. He was on the phone talking. The guard should have waited for the conclusion of the phone call. He should have started the conversation with the assumption that the gentleman was a guest of the hotel and not a robbery suspect. He shoshould’ve been cognizant of the sensitive nature of approaching a black man in a hotel lobby regarding his status as a registered guest. And, he was aware of that status because when he and Mr Massey were talking, Mr Massey said “”I am a guest here.” The guard replied “not any more you’re not.” Thus, you prove to be as racist in your remarks as the guard. Which is why he is now JOBLESS AND UNEMPLOYABLE! Who knows, perhaps he’ll be loitering in hotel lobbies himself in a few months. Smh!
Excellent! The 71 year old white security guard had no class or adequate training. I agree, let him finish his call without rudely interrupting and assume that he is a guest! I think Double Tree should hire you as their training consultant for new hires!
Exactly, the guard wasn’t being racist, but the guy was thrown out is definitely racist, not answering a question because a white guy asked it is beyond racist, it’s pure hate.
Blacks are same way racist as white. Amd i enjoy. my day in country without black supremacist. lol
Regardless of the color Portland has a social game called “Hipster or Homeless” Honestly it’s hard to tell at times because a lot of people just want to be unclean and look grimy and others have no options or access to showers, change of clothes etc. I don’t think that it is unlikely for security to question someone casually under dressed sitting in the lobby if they are a guest. It is an innocent, professional question. At no point in those videos did anyone on either side seem overly aggressive with each other. It was one part doing their job, albeit poorly and half heartedly, and the other too busy or concerned with a personal issue to care about obvious etiquette and a response that would have quickly resolved this issue. Having lived in Portland for a very long time I can say that we see many people who are mentally ill or come into shops I’ve worked at to shoplift or wreck displays or wreak havoc in an episode who look relatively decently attired. We have a lot of great citizens who individually help those who are houseless and also organizations who help those who need warm, new clothes especially for winter. I am not saying that this man should have been treated less than any more than houseless or mentally ill people should. We are all people, but when it comes to safety and awareness of surroundings, as a NY native who left after 911 I appreciate anyone who is paid to patrol areas for anything suspicious. If it’s not an actual threat, great. Seems to me Mr. Massey didn’t alleviate any ambiguity to the situation until he pulled out his cell phone to race bait Earl into an altercation. He did not produce a room key or number. If it were me, I would be very pissed off being interrupted on a personal emergency call, but I would have produced my key and walked to the front desk, even on my call, so Earl would see I was a legitimate guest.
Since when is there a dress code for hotel lobbys? I’ve gone down to a lobby in my pajamas before to get some snacks for my kids.
Most people tend to dress comfortably when traveling. Also, what homeless person has enough money for a cell phone and clean clothes? Honestly, I think Matthew is reaching here. It’s impossible for someone who doesn’t experience this type of thing to so much as even understand. Massey is doing the right thing for suing.
You clearly have not been around homeless people, well here in San Diego we are loaded with them and I have seen soooooo many with iphones, not crappy old phones, but phones on the same level as mine and guess what, I have seen plenty of bums with new clothes.
Lots of criers in here. Racist racist racist! Every thing is racist whaaaaaa!!!
The answer to most of the world’s problems is for folks to be kinder, more compassionate, more understanding, more patient, and just plain friendlier. Yeah, Earl was obviously being a racist jerk, no doubt about that. But Mr. Massey could have easily resolved the situation by simply being the bigger person, and replied to Earl in a friendly way. He could have smiled at Earl, taken out his key and said “Here’s my key; I’m in room [whatever].” Sometimes we have to model the behavior we want to see in others, because it is not in their behavioral repertoire. Mr. Massey is right – Earl probably wouldn’t have approached a white man dressed casually and asked if he were a guest. And it must get annoying to be constantly questioned for doing normal, everyday things just because of the color of your skin. But sometimes we are called upon to go the extra mile in this world, and show the Earl’s what respect and friendliness looks like.
Really? Do you understand what white privilege is? Probably not. Do you know how it feels to be black? How does it feel to be followed when you are walking around an upscale department store? How it feels to be in line to make a purchase, and watch all the white people use their credit cards without producing an ID, and then being asked for your ID when you use your credit card? I’m out shopping for a diamond to set in a gift to my wife. I want the salesperson to help me shop for a stone based on clarity and color, as well as the table of the stone. I’m looking for a stone 2 carats, give or take some weight on the stone. Usually, a tray of loose diamonds is brought out for the client to look at. The security guard watches me closely. The salesperson in the store suggests I look at the rings and necklaces already in the case and says to me, and I quote, “setting loose stones is much more expensive than buying an already set piece.” Obviously to you the reader, I have bought diamonds before. The situation implies that since I am black, I might want to grab the loose stones and run out of the store. It is unbelievable that the sales person would make that comment to me. Like I said, for me to ask to see loose stones in the first place indicated that I wanted to examine them. To suggest that I buy something out of the case makes it obvious that the salesperson suspected that I was going to steal something. I’m in an expensive suit. That same salesperson would have immediately collected the stones onto the tray to show a white person if the white person was wearing sloppy clothes. The salesperson would have brought out the stones if the white person said “lemme see what dem diamonds look like when da are not in somethin cause I’m gettin a big tax refund and wanna get my old lady sometin fancy like dem rap stars.” I hope that clears up your lack of understanding of white privilege.
Thank you! I was thinking the same thing. It’s not like he was in his boxers and undershirt. He was profiled, and the author did not fault the hotel for verifying his status as a guest when it was already pointed out that white people were not questioned. It’s problematic to think like this and feel objective, the author literally associated that man because for him, he looked like he “fit the description” of what a homeless man in that area would look like. Well, after seeing that the author was a white dude, it made sense to me why the structure of this opinion piece was that way. Sadly, this pops up on google searches about this incident, and gives a harmful view regarding the situation.
I’m starting to think you’re a racist. And if that sentence upsets you, I understand. Most racists don’t think they’re racists. But everytime you (a white guy) do an analysis of what some black man/woman “should’ve done” in a given situation, you clearly exhibit your true self. Tell me this…why can’t black people sit in stackbucks, sell lemonade, sell water, or sit in a hotel lobby without the cops being called? Why can’t black people take a knee? Why can’t blacks go door to door to encourage people to vote without being suspicious? Drive down the street without being shot? Deliver amazon packages without being a porch pirate? Do you need more examples? Why is that? You even admit that you’ve never been asked for ID in the lobby, so why does anyone else have to produce it (regardless to how BIG the homeless population of the city is)? And the fact that you would even imply that gives me real concern. I think you should stick to your trip reviews and lay off the “analysis” of black people.
Poverty and homeless disproportionally affects black people. Do you deny that? That’s a stain on U.S. society, a mark of lingering inequality. It is not racist to point that out and lament it.
This hotel is in the center of a city with a big homeless problem. Isn’t it reasonable to ask any guest who sits in a secluded area of the lobby for an extended period late in the evening for proof they are a guest?
It is not racist to ask that of any guest. But the problem is that if the guest was white and wearing the same clothes as Massey and doing the same actions, this would have never happened. The guard would have most likely assumed he was a guest and would not have challenged him.
That is the fundamental problem here.
Whether or not Massey was a guest or not, or doing something illegal or not, he was challenged because he was black. That is pure racism.
I don’t for one moment forclose the possibility that you are correct. But, I do think if a 30-something white guy wearing a hoodie was sitting on a couch with his feet on them late at night, he also would have been approached.
What about a 30-something white guy in a hoodie talking on cell phone? Come on don’t play dumb here. You travel. Tell me how many homeless Americans you’ve seen with YOUR eyes on a cell phone? Looking raggedy as shit a nice cell phone? Your practically trying to force a unique situation. Yes if he was everything you said and doing nothing or trying to sleep sure, but he was actively talking to his MOM of all people. Can you inform me on the last cell phone conversation you passed by being had by homeless people? I been all over the US and I don’t see homeless people with cell phones.
Who the hell are homeless people calling on cell phones? You see how fucking wack you have to be to look at all that evidence and assume someone is still staying there without paying.
Seriously? Come to LA, where the homeless people are smoking dope and playing cell phone games on one hand while holding “Hungry, Need Work” signs in the other. I wish I was joking, but I see the same guy every morning on my way into the office.
I know your response was somewhat playful but really you played yourself into the classic white guy trope. The “ I know a guy or have seen a guy so this must hold true for everyone in that group” argument. You know what you even went as far as to say homeless people so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and still show you your wrong.
So you say homeless people in LA have cell phones. Well hmmm is LA one of the most expensive places to live in the country? Yes. So is it likely the amount of money people receive in a city like this are going to receive more or have more opportunities for money than say someone in Flint or Reno? No. See what you did is looked at one place let alone one guy and said so this must hold true I portland. But your jaded world view is wrong. If you extrapolate some data let alone personal evidence you’ll find that in most places like Idaho or Maine, or Alabama or OREGON, homeless people don’t have cell phones so to say they were confused with someone who is homeless is fucking laughable.
I gotta say, it’s pretty funny and ironic that you’ve traveled immensely more than me yet you understand how the world works less than I do haha. Goes to show you can travel for years and still be jaded by acts of racism in your own home country.
Total fantasy in your privileged world.
Your statement implies we all get treated equally.
Lol!
If they have a policy where they ask every casually-dressed person in the lobby if they are a guest, then sure, I cede you the point. But if not, then I think you’re pretty brave for exhibiting your racism in a blog post.
It is totally possible that they have questioned white people in the lobby about their status. But there wouldn’t be a story in those situations…so we would not know about them. Scrappy white guy hanging out…go ahead and question him, no problem. Blacks won’t care.
It’s totally possible that bots using different names would comment twice on the same story.
Matthew, clearly you’ve not been to Portland OR recently. The “homeless” around here are NOT black. In fact, many of the “homeless” are not even from here. Please go do some research regarding our local “homeless” situation before you offer your views. Mr Massey seems to fit the “common” profile imbedded in the guard and his manager’s mind of a thug/criminal. And therein lies to problem.
Having recently been at the receiving end of “discriminatory comments” from top hotel staff, I can see how the staff at this end lack the experience and foresight to have dealt appropriately with Mr Massey. (He should have simply been left alone. Figure: how did he receive a call on the hotel phone in the first place, hmm? I hope he gets justly rewarded for what he’s had to endure.
@Mark:
From the Oregonian concerning the homeless issue in Portland:
Wow, a whole 11 percent increase? Dude, you are playing yourself so hard right now, it’s embarrassing. There’s a rule – when you’re digging a hole for yourself, the first think you need to do is stop digging. You are showing yourself to be completely unaware of how racism works in the US. You can bet your life savings that Earl Meyers, the about-to-be-unemployed security guard, didn’t look twice at any white person walking around that hotel lobby.
Ken, my point clearly discounts the assertion of another poster that the homeless population is Portland is all white. But you are welcome to keep digging.
The second that white old guard radioed the manager and directed the manager to call 911, Mr, Massey suffered discrimination.
1. Was the Guard following a written/oral double tree policy? If so, what is that policy?
2. If the guard was,not following policy but was concerned, why didnt he go over and discuss with the manager?
3. This is a waste of Oregon taxpayer dollars and anytime these ignorant white folks call police in these sutuations, they should be billed for the cost
So I you admit that blacks should be grouped into monlithic group and negatively labeled. Yep, definition of a racist.
Not sure if this is directed at me, but the answer is NO.
NO
The key here is the word disproportionately. Whites still represent a larger proportion of the overall homeless demographic (47%). http://www.northstarnewstoday.com/news/report-blacks-comprise-40-percent-homeless-population/
In Portland, people of color as a whole only represent 39% of the homeless population. https://www.portlandoregon.gov/toolkit/article/562207
The statistics you cited do not support the argument you seem to be making: It was somehow OK to ask this black man whether he was a guest because his skin color somehow made it more likely he was homeless, and therefore OK to single out. Not a reasonable argument or conclusion. Nor the clothes. Causal is casual. You seem to be bending over backwards to find some reasonable justification for the conduct. In doing so, you appear to be reaching for facts that are not part of the narrative offered by anyone (the homelessness issue), while ignoring obvious questions regarding the singling out of this gentleman and bvb the disproportionate action taken in the first place, which further calls into question the intent of the guard and manager. Lastly, look at the hotel’s response. It does not support a belief that its actions were justified in any way.
It’s called “unconscious bias”. And it’s draining to live with 24/7 – 360. Absolutely draining!!!
As a person of color you feel forcec to do normal activities holding two thoughts simultaneously:
1. What I need to do
AND
2. How will what I need to do be interpreted by people who don’t know me.
I challenge every non white person to live a day with this burden.
Some days it’s easier than others.
Some days you don’t even notice you’re under this pressure.
Most non white people are NOT racists.
Just insensitive to the unnecessary pressure we are under because of the color of the skin God gave us.
It’s the unnecessary pressure and the insensitivity to it all that makes us so hurt and angry.
He was in the lobby for a total of 5 minutes!!! How was he there for an extended period of time. Know your facts. He clearly said he had just walked in and a few mins into his conversation he was approached.
I was the victim of such ridiculousness and my answer to the idiot who demanded information from me was not even close to the cordiality Mr. Massey showed. I’m fact, I went to the front desk and complained. I was with a film crew that was renting the majority of the hotel’s rooms, so they kissed my a$$.
They can go fk themselves.
@AJR
By your logic, I can call you a racist (or bigot ) and if you deny it, it just shows how deluded you are as a racist (or bigot).
As for black people being racially profiled, yes it does happen and there are genuine instances of racism. However as Matthew said, homelessness and poverty disproportionately affect black people. Therefore it makes sense to be extra careful in certain situations.
For example if you (as a man) are walking home alone at night and you see a woman or a group women walking toward you, will you feel threatened? Usually not. But if a man or a group of men are walking toward you, you probably will feel a little unsafe. Why? Because women commit much fewer violent crimes than men. So it make sense to be careful where the danger lies.
Please use Logic and not just bland, cliched, rhetoric when making an argument.
So I see your selective with your facts to prove a point, how bout I give you more and you use what little common sense you have to try and figure it out. Sure poverty disproportionately affects African Americans but guess what Portland is the whitest city in the fucking country. All I see is homeless white people. In fact I see at least 15 homeless people to every AA person. Have you even been to downtown Portland? Fuck outta here talking bout shit you don’t know about.
So now knowing that fact use the little bit of competency bouncing around your empty head and tell me how likely it would be that a reasonably dressed black man on a cell phone is somehow more likely to be homeless then the clearly raggedy, dirty, smelly homeless white people that sit out in front of these hotels. And we’re somehow to be compared to or seen as someone of that level just for wearing a hoody and jeans?
“disproportionately affect black people. Therefore it makes sense to be extra careful in certain situations.”
So your saying ALL black people should be questioned inside businesses since they ALL could potentially be poverty stricken? Idgaf what color you are, your racism is showing.
Get some experience before you talk, you sound like your getting air to your brain through a straw.
William, I want to be clear that targeting a person simply based upon skin color is not appropriate.
@AJR
You’re starting? I don’t think Matthew (or Kyle) have ever tried to hide their lack of empathy for black people. Comes with the territory of being conservative, I suppose.
How about when asked to initially show your room key you do it, problem solved.
Hi Matt,
Since you seem to be answering readers comments in this post, would it be possible for you to address some of the many questions regarding the SWISS-Aeroplan fiasco of your previous post?
https://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com/2018/12/27/swiss-eu261-compensation-help/
You have spent an important amount of hours writing about it but went suddenly quiet and it seems like you are sending your readers to pounce sand, an attitude that you have criticized in others.
I responded to you in the other post.
Is it racist? A person camped in the lobby, with feet on the furniture, wearing a hoodie and chatting on a phone. Isn’t that sufficient to ask him about his status? And surely when he declines to give speficis answers, that would raise more questions.
I don’t like people putting their feet on furniture in public areas and the sin is magnified when they use a cell phone concurrently.
The fact your bothered so much by people putting their feet up (generally a sign of relaxing) in a public area is hilarious. While your worried about their foot position they’ve got their feet up and could care less. Hotel staff is one thing but people like you who even give thought to people minding their own business is fuckin hilarious. Don’t let the stress of being bothered by other people kill you, although we wouldn’t notice cause unlike you we pay you no mind lol
Well, it is totally gross and unsanitary to put up your feet in a public place, when they are not placed onto your own property. People should not put up their feet on an airplane either. It’s not reason to throw somebody out though.
It looks like he has a good law firm, so hopefully he’ll get some compensation.
I’ll give you bare feet and socks is unsanitary but if your not supposed put your feet up why do lobby’s, lounges and business and first class seats have ottomans master problem solver?
I’m sorry, but no. It is totally unclassy and disrespectful to put your shoes on furniture that doesn’t belong to you. It wears out the furniture and gets in dirty. People use to understand things like this. Now, people of all races do stuff like this and it’s just…not cool. I’m personally fine with “discriminating” against rude and disrespectful people. If it was my establishment, I’d tell him to get his nasty shoes off my furniture.
So againnnnnnn girl who seems to be slow, why do lobby’s, lounges and airlines have ottomans… directly in front of seats as to say, you sit in this one and you put your feeeeeet on this one.
If you don’t want feet on furniture don’t have a fucking foot rest.
Maybe I am slow…does the article state his feet were on an ottoman or the couch? Two different things. One is for your feet and one is not.
So arguing against racism somehow condones your misogyny?
This is why people don’t like Americans. In Europe, you will not see people with their shoes all over the place. Disgusting.
Yall are really here talking bout feet on furniture. That’s why thousands of people are thrown out of hotels they are paying for huh?
No, but the feet on the sofa and the sullen demeanour go to his attitude. And suddenly he’s Rosa Parks? I don’t think so….
Matthew, you are also a racist!
Once it was established that he was a guest, this episode should have ended. Period.
I agree and stated this clearly in my story.
Many seem to take issue with the fact that he was asked in the first place.
I agree with Glen here and let’s be objective! Regardless of the race issue, once he’s been identified as a paying guest, there is no more clause for transpassing. For him to be thrown out like this, there might be more to the story that the victim/hotel is not telling us.
I don’t know what the deal is here with the other readers in your comments section. I get that racism is a big problem, but it becomes a bigger problem when people lump them up and point fingers which doesn’t fix anything at all.
FYI, I’m of an ethnic race if that matters.
I’ll try and say it nicely Matthew.
Was someone asking if he stayed there problematic? No and Yes.
No – staff should be able to ensure the safety of guests, which I would hope.
Yes – what makes this racist is if they are not asking EVERY guest sitting in a hoody and jeans sitting in the lobby.
Can you even try and understand the difference. At first I wanted to be combative but it’s more productive if we can try and come to some sort of understanding. Can you honestly not see how it seems racist? Let alone it being obviously blatant.
William, I grant you that this Earl and Luis could have been racist and perhaps harbor some bigotry.
But it’s not like there was another person sitting in the lobby like Jermaine was. The white folks in Jermaine’s video appeared to simply be walking through the lobby to the guest elevators.
At most hotels I stay at guests must insert their room key in order to access he elevator. That provides another layer of security.
I’ll address your boarder point below. I am not being patronizing when I thank you for taking the time to comment so many times today. Life is a process of learning and it is my intention to respect the dignity of every human being.
Matthew: You are wrong. Period. And to all others responding to Matthew’s ridiculous assessment when he himself has never walked in Jermaine Massey’s shoes much less any non-white person’s shoes. I ask everyone to instead write to Hilton and/or Doubletree and let them know how you feel. Any further writing time spent responding to Matthew is a waste of time. Make your comments count by writing to the upper management of the parent company of Doubletree. And Matthew, if you had a ounce of critical thinking skills concerning this —how about you THINK how you’d feel if this happened to you. It doesn’t matter where the hotel is located, what clothes you had on, what the city’s demographics are, if you had you feet up, or where you chose to sit. It’s about assumed power of white males over all other ethnicities. And you are exhibiting that with your article. You are doing exactly the same thing that Earl, the security guard did, only you are doing it with this blog. You THINK you have the assumed right to ask these questions or give an opinion when you haven’t walked in Jermaine Massey’s shoes ever in life. You are getting backlash from your readers because your assessment IS racist. You have no clue what it is like to be a person of color —to have every second of every day of your life scrutinized or inferences made about you. Just imagine…imagine wherever you go, whatever you do, no matter how you are dressed, you are watched, you are assessed, you are judged, and you are powerless when someone who thinks they have the right to judge you and what you are doing to call the police KNOWING that if they do, you life very well end in seconds once they arrive. Because they too have pre-determined the outcome and possible “bad” scenarios and of course, they believe the person that called them that the situation is bad or dire and they just react. And then “another” incident occurs where someone is killed for taking a phone call from mom in a lobby of a hotel where some white male with a badge who thinks he has the power to make hotel policy and be judge, jury, and executioner knowing full well by calling police he has just put a target on Jermaine Massey’s back.
Sorry Connie, but regardless of whether Matthew was racist here, how exactly is this about white males having assumed power? Such ridiculous claims only serve to alienate what valid concerns you may have raised!
I agree. arguing with the author of the article is a waste of time. He isn’t able to walk in someone else’s shoes. I wonder why a white middle class male feels the need to write an article about this topic in the first place. He can only see the facts through the prism of privilege. Mathew shows his inability to get past stereotypes with his assumption that Portland’s homeless are african American. they are not. I live in an area of Southern Calif where most homeless are white. That would probably blow Mathews mind as he pictures the poor to be hoodie wearing black folks.
I have already done my part to contact the hotel.
Jan, the homeless people I run into in Pasadena and Glendale are often white. Who said anything about the homeless population being black in Portland or LA?
But do see my stats above.
Connie, I appreciate your comment. Let me address two things. One, you said:
I addressed that in my post. I would be annoyed and offended. But the hotel has a right to ask.
To your broader point, I reject the religion of intersectionality. Andrew Sullivan provides excellent analysis on this topic:
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/03/is-intersectionality-a-religion.html
In your pursuit of critical thinking, I would recommend you read his article with an open-mind.
Since when do you have to be a hotel guest to sit in the lobby??? I have never seen or heard of such a rule, and have used plenty of hotel lobbies as a non guest. This guy posed no security threat, and this was blatant racism / profiling. So I disagree that the hotel / security guard was not to blame in the first place.
Not true. My white brother was (admittedly) camping out overnight in a hotel. He was asked to leave once it was established he was not a guest. Hotel lobbies aren’t free shelters. There is nothing wrong with asking someone to establish that they are a guest. This guy should have been classier in handling the request to show his key.
Jen,
Earl should have showed some of that good old hospitality customer service training and let this man finish his conversation. Earl should have explained to Massey why the police were called. Earl and Luis should have dropped the matter once the hotel key was shown. Earl should have believed Massey the first time he told him he was a hotel guest. Luis should not have called the police until he as the hotel manager understood the situation. There are a lot of things that could have and should have done. I guess its on Massey to protect his own existence in this establishment even though hes paid the establishment for hospitality. Kinda like the blacks paying taxes and the police force. hmm…
DJack, I agree with most of your post except the “Earl should have believed Massey the first time he told him he was a hotel guest” part. People do lie and I’m sure that guard was quite accustomed to being lied to. And, yes, I have personally witnessed the exact situation of a hotel security guard asking someone based on the way he was dressed whether he was a guest and that person – who was actually homeless – lying about it and saying that he was. In that case, the person was white.
I’m not sure how much time you’ve spent around homeless people, but a lot of them lie as a matter of habit. Even to people who are trying to help them. Even when there’s absolutely no reason at all for them to lie and it’s completely obvious to everyone that they are lying. Speaking from a substantial amount of personal experience here. If the guard did indeed suspect that he was homeless (or otherwise just attempting to hang out there without being an actual customer,) his answer that he was a guest without providing a room number, key card, or anything else, especially after ignoring the request the first time, wouldn’t necessarily have meant much.
Having said that, you’re completely correct that calling the police so quickly appears unwarranted. At least from the information here, that seems like quite an over-the-top response. And then continuing to tell him to leave after he produced the key is just outright insane.
Way to go, Matt. Your continued attempts to pander to lefties via articles oriented around race has backfired. Your own comrades are now charging you with racism. The irony of it all is delicious.
You may want to consider returning to writing about how to travel for free instead of trying to provide commentary for every one-off travel incident involving a member of a protected class.
I’m not trying to pander to anyone. I knew this article would have precisely the reaction it did. But wrote it anyway because the topic fascinates me. It is obviously an issue I continue to wrestle with.
Look at all the black people going berserk over here. My family owns a few hotels & i would definitely confront anyone hanging out in the lobby to ask if he is staying in the hotel or not. There are all kinds of people who would want to take advantage of free heat, free coffee in the lobby & even free breakfast.
Any business would want to see if the genuine guests in the hotels are getting the benefits & not the free loaders. I totally agree with you Matthew that the security guard did nothing wrong he was just doing his job.
Also i agree with you that once it was established that he was a guest in the hotel this should be over.
Most normal people be it black,white or that matter any color would not get offended if asked to show their keys to confirm if they are guest of the hotel. The guest here is clearly at fault for not showing the keys. After that the manager on duty was clearly at fault to not apologizing & welcoming him back again. This manager would already be out of a job if he was working in once of our hotels.
@ Hotelguy– How do you know the responders “going berzerk over here” are black? Please let me know the name of the hotels owned by your white-privilged family, so I can avoid them.
Hotelguy- with hate I match hate, I hope your hotels do porely and your parents die soon since you came from them and their like you we’ll be better off with out both of you.
Let’s see you say your comment about black people going berserk to their face? Right, you would never cause your behind your computer, the only place people like you have any strength.
If you ain’t bitch made what’s the name of your hotel?
I’m not black and am appalled by the hotels actions…I’m Hispanic and have traveled this country and have experienced racism in many many subtle and not so subtle forms. Mathew, racism is alive and will in this country. Don’t ever try to see both side of that.
John, I do not deny that racism is alive and well in the USA. I’m just not sure it is directly implicated here. Seems so based upon the actions of the hotel to throw out Jermaine after it was established he was a guest, but I would like to hear Earl’s side of the story.
I want to leave this with this to think about the next time you want to say “ I want to hear the other side of the story”
When the other person being viewed as the perpetrator think about when telling their side of the story why their going to make it sound like they’d didnt do anything abjectly racist because obviously they don’t want to be viewed that way. See all a person has to say in their story is I wasn’t being racist and you sit and say well he said it wasn’t because of his skin color but what person on the job is going to say that, see my point? Obviously when someone does something racist and gets asked their side their going to frame it positively. But just like MOST (remember exception vs rule) times women claim sexual assault it likely happened and the person wil frame it in a way that makes it seem not racist. Also let me add in that their is unconscious bias to which he may have already be pre conceived. My point being try to stop and consider when you say I need to hear the other side of the story, when there’s already video to even somewhat support the victim, maybe i should be more cautious in the acceptance of the perpatrators “side of the story”
If your wife said something happened to her would you believe her or say you need to hear the other side of the story. Think about what mr Massey had to gain vs what Earl had to lose. I gotta believe you can connect those dots Matt.
William, I just saw some inconsistencies in the story line with the room key and gaps in the videos. The facts speak for themselves, we just need them all.
As I alluded to in my article, this issue comes in the wake of another recent abuse story, this time where a senior citizen alleged abuse at Chicago. I fell for the story hook-line-and-sinker just like everyone else. Turned out to be a total lie.
https://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com/2018/12/05/american-airlines-exposes-wheelchair-fraud/
But your logic is well-taken.
I am a hispanic born in south america, I have seen how prople from south of the usa come here, ruin cities and towns, claim racism when they get caught doing something wrong and destroy the schools they go to. That is called The Truth and it is NOT racist to point out when people act like aholes/animals. The best part is how super racist hispanics are against whites (and blacks and asians and indians and etc…) behind their backs. You should hear what hispanics say when there are only other hispanics around. As the years pass, I would have to be a complete fool to actually believe white people are the most racist in this country, they aren’t anywhere near as racist as hispanics and blacks (I grew up in a black neighborhood, my mom getting spit on by black people as she walks me to school because I wasnt allowed to ride the school bus because it was unsafe for non-blacks to take the school bus in that neighboorhood, basically me and another student were banned from the school bus, the only 2 non-black kids in the school.) I wasn’t allowed on the playground when there were no teachers around because of how racist black people are against non-blacks. And here we are, pretending that what happened in that hotel lobby was racism. oh please…
To my defense every business has the right to do what they think is right to protect legitimate business. Anyways this is black previlage at it’s extreme. I am a minority too to that even a bigger minority then all of the other minority’s here.
I am a business guy it is common sense to not put here which hotels we own..to the guy saying I am white brother I am even more black then you are..I will end it at that.
@ HotelGuy — Sitting in the lobby and making a phone call at the hotel which you’ve paid to stay is Black Privilege at it’s extreme? What an imbicilic comment.
@Gene being a private owned business I still stand by words. Every business owner has right to check if the guy who paid for room is in the room or the guy lotiring in lobby is indeed a paying guest in the hotel. It is exactly like visiting a restaurant & being asked to pay for meal before you eat it. You can choose to not eat there and go to some other place where they don’t ask you that & everyone survives.
A lot of people pay for 1 guy in the room and they in the end 10 guys end up in the room partying so any legitimate hotel owner would definitely check on if he sees something suspicious. It is his right as a business owner to refuse the service.
Anyways I do agree with Matthew that once it was established he was a legitimate paying guest in the hotel the manager & security guard should have apologized and close the matter. It seems they did not do that which is every foolish.
It can also be that they apologized & the guest was not willing to accept the apology and he thought he can get a big sum of money if he cried racism on Twitter.
nope, not responding to a non-black when asked a question is black priviledge and very hate-filled. You are acting like you don’t know this, but you do and you pretending not to know better is actually racist, making you a racist, whether you acknowledge it or not.
WRONG.
See “Heart of Atlanta Motel v United States,” where the Supreme Court held that, under Title II of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, a place of public accommodation may not discriminate against customers or potential customers on the basis of race.
If the security guard and manager treated this guest differently than a similarly situated white guest, that would be a civil rights violation. Customers may not be treated differently on the basis of their race.
That is impossible to know in hindsight. The perpetrators can just claim they weren’t racist, but legitimately concerned about issues.
Black people always have the race card they can use when they feel they are mistreated. The same goes for women that get turned down on a job or some other exclusion: they can always claim “sexism” as one of their defensive tools. And they use it often.
@Matthew
The biggest issue I have with this article is that you fail to mention a likely cause, which is racial profiling. You can make an argument that homelessness was the primary cause, but I believe race had a major role in the incident. As a person who has lived in Portland for 15 years now, I can say that a lot of people in our city do not understand the raical inequality here. These were likely uneducated hotel workers who relied on their implicit bias to make their decision. Especially if the person had very few belongings with them in the lobby, I doubt homelessness was the driving factor in this incident. While I think your reasoning is valid, I also believe that you need to mention the other perspective in your article.
“He may well have faced discrimination on the basis of his skin color or attire, but he certainly was singled out for sitting in a deserted part of the lobby late at night.“
Update: I just read through the article again and it looks like you mentioned it, but downplayed the significance of his skin color in the incident.
It was not my intention to downplay it. Rather, it was to point out that the primary factor he was approached was because he was sitting in a deserted part of the lobby late night. Absent that, his skin color or apparel would have made no difference.
Good Afternoon Matthew
I do appreciate you concern in asking why was he still kicked out of the hotel after he showed his key. I have been in this situation before and I would I like to point a few things out.
1. Was anyone else in the lobby being asked for their key? If not then he was targeted.
2. Do you give your room number to everyone that asks you? I don’t. I cant assume that people are looking out for best interest. For safety reasons, I went through a qualification process before I spoke to the person that approached me and quickly showed some type of ID. Would you give your home address to any nice dressed man in a hotel lobby just because he said he was security. You wouldn’t because that is private and your safety?
3. Do you really feel that someone that went to concert in jeans, sweatshirt and gym shoes while on a cell phone looked despondent or grungy. There are different reasons why people are homeless, But on the weekend, how many of us wear sweat tops and jeans? It wasn’t a business day where you should expect business attire.
4. If homelessness is a problem for the hotel, why is there no guard at the front door or camera where they could have monitored his entrance to see if he caused any harm. Maybe a guard at the door would have seen that he was dropped off by Lyft or something. Saying they are guarding against homeless problem by approaching selected guest is not a plan and we know it. It is what they are using to save themselves now.
I know it is difficult to understand, but we blacks are depicted in low regard all over the world. Its not true or fair, but it is what we live with. We are pulled over, shunned for interviews, fire from jobs and mistreated because of our skin color. You won’t ever have to deal with this. Until you walked a week in our shoes, you wont understand. By the way, throwing in the work “hoodie” to make someone seem threatening is poor taste trying to tie things back the T Martin case. The fact that people now associate hoodie with an ominous behavior is ignorant. It was ignorant then as it was raining and the kid covered his head and it is ignorant now to rehash it. I’m not calling you ignorant as a person. Im sure you are an awesome guy, Just some of the words seemed to be used to make a point or create a divide.
Take care
@Dewayne – thanks for your constructive comments.
I would likewise ignore people who come up to me and ask for my room number unless it is a member of the hotel staff or security. Here, it was clearly a member of hotel security.
I’m surprised by the number of private and public replies I am receiving concerning wardrobe. I’m likely just totally out of style, but that’s a a whole different topic.
You are right that a guard at the door of the hotel seems to make a lot more sense than one who rooms around.
Thanks for taking the time to respond and for being gracious in your words.
After 30 years in the Hospitality Industry here is a sobering perspective. The definition of hospitality is to provide a welcoming environment for guests.
As a Hilton Honors member I refer you to the mission statement of the Hilton Worldwide.
https://careerfinder.ucas.com/employer/211/hilton-worldwide/
Now please realize a number of Hilton properties are franchised or owned by management groups, therefore, it is managements responsibly to ensure all employees are properly trained accordingly. People cannot demonstrate what they have not been taught.
Regarding the homeless in Portland I too highly recommend you do some research. I also highly recommend that you volunteer. Experience is the best teacher. Poverty is no respector of persons. Any number of circumstances can place persons at risk for abject poverty, Please see the city of Portland report below.
https://www.portlandmercury.com/images/blogimages/2017/10/23/1508781908-psu_2017_point-in-time_final_clean.pdf
Lastly as an African American mother, these situations are of growing concern to me for my two young adult daughters but especially for my son. Unless the lobby had a dress code, Mr. Massey’s attire is of no consequence. If you look closely at the still photos from the video you see other persons dressed casualslly. The only safety concern should have been for Mr. Massey as a guest. In his statements he says his hotel key was visible in his hand. NO ONE should be the target of racial bias.
Thank you all for the comments and lively discussion. I appreciate every comment that was left. I’ll respond to more comments later on.
Hi Matt,
Maybe, could you respond to the readers that have asked you about the Swiss drama?
Even though you said that you weren’t doing it for the money, your silence seems like whatever if was offered was enough for you to not follow up on this in the blog.
Don’t you think that perhaps you loose credibility by telling us to go pounce sand… or even worse, not saying anything at all?
Already done.
Matthew
Massey, in his Instagram posts, states that he had his card out the whole time. You did not mention that, whether it was his claim or not. Going generally based off of a facial expression saying “The security guard’s reaction on video suggests that Massey had not produced this earlier.” is not evidence that he didnt produce it before. Also, please update your post with the newly updated response from Doubletree where they have publically apologized to Massey.
I could not fathom that being in jeans, a hoodie, and nice shoes would be enough to look the part of a homeless man. I wear those clothing items all the time, looking way worse in public, but never being questioned if I’m supposed to be there. Of course, being a white female, I dont experience these forms of discrimination.
If you are a patron at a hotel, which is supposed to be a home-away-from-home experience, shouldn’t it be acceptable to wear those things and not be judged as to whether or not you’re supposed to be there?
This post has undertones of racial bias. The front desk worker clearly called the cops BEFORE asking what the problem was. But aren’t most security personnel called when front desk workers feel a threat? A simple “sir, do you by chance have your room key” should have been the end all be all of this situation.
If you, as a white man, was wear the exact same clothing, taking a personal, family emergency phone call in the lobby of a hotel you were staying at, you would never be questioned if you were in the right place. NEVER.
Update your post to reflect the on going story that this is.
Then why was he unable to state his room number?
@ Matthew — Why does he need to state his room number? That is where you don’t get it Matthew. YOU and I would never be asked such a question.
Because it seems he did not show his room key.
@ Matthew — Same thing. He should not have been asked to show his room key either. The hotel should invest in some better technology rather than have some idiot security guard harass people for “Being Black While Calling Mama” in the lobby.
I don’t know what exactly happened. But the hotel manager and guard seemed a bit shocked when Jermaine pulled out the key with room number. Watch the video closely.
For what possible reason would the guard continue to harass Jermaine if he had shown this earlier?
And Gene, we tacitly enjoy white privilege, but a hotel has a right to ensure there is no one loitering in the lobby late night. A restaurant also has a right to ask someone to show proof of payment before serving food. It would surely annoy you and me, just like it annoyed Jermaine, but we would have an obligation to produce it…we are on private property after all.
Exactly my thoughts.
Gene, cut the crap. If an authority figures asks a question, you answer it. If you don’t, then you are starting trouble for no reason, which is what the guy who got thrown out did. If he wouldn’t have acted so racist towards the guard (not answering questions because of someone’s race is racist, whether you like it or not) then none of this would have happened and he would have not been thrown out. Gene, look in the mirror, you might be a LOT more racist than you realize.
After living Black in America for over 7 decades, I understand your article but moreso I absolutely know by personal experience and by my roles in the community and my profession that most, if not all places we go, we are profiled. Before the profile, comes the “thoughts”. After the profile, then the action.
In your article we’re privy to hear about the action, the action in a snapshot and the action from the perspective of both parties. Then Social media just takes over and we all become EXPERTS.
But, here we are once again and is and will there ever be lessons learned in America?
In every decade of my life since 1960s, I have been stopped by my white brothers in law enforcement and/or some semblance of authority and been treated with little or no respect. Why? I am black.
Nevertheless, I have learned inspite of Living Black in America that everyone that does not see life like me is not a racist but just Privileged!!
Thanks for your comment. I don’t downplay for one moment the struggles you have faced.
oh please, don’t give me that tired @$$ story of poor black me being harassed by the evil white guys. When black people get questioned about anything, it’s because I’m black… I call complete bullsiht on that. Most black people get questioned when they are doing something questionable. Like loitering, trespassing, etc… NOBODY gets questioned for being black so shut up with that untrue divisive bullcrap. I am hispanic and I have grown up around black people my entire life and I have never seen a black person get questioned or arrested without there being a reason. What’s funny is once they are out on bail or just released from custody, they cry about how they are a victim of racism, my @$$. You did something wrong and instead of taking responsibility, you blame racism (of which black people are more guilty of than white people, BY FAR.) Black people used to be tough and now they are just a bunch of whiny victims, it’s pathetic how far black pride has fallen… Tough enough to survive hundreds of years of slavery bit not tough enough to admit when they do something wrong (such as ignoring authority figure requests because you don’t like the skin color of the authority figure, then pretending to be the victim of racism.)
White Privilege – “…the implicit or systemic advantages that white people have relative to people who are the objects of racism; it is the absence of suspicion and other negative reactions that people who are objects of racism experience.
It is the flipside of racism and is used in discussions focused on the mostly hidden benefits that white people possess in a society where racism is prevalent and whiteness is considered normal, rather than on the detriments to people who are the objects of racism”
Maybe if Germaine Massey would have stopped talking and repeating himself over and over and over again stating the obvious — about how he is “just on the phone and not disturbing anyone” – making wrong assumptions only that white people are profiling him for such an idiotic reason as being on the phone while black, — it would not have escalated to being kicked out. STOP TALKING and ask the security guard to walk over to hotel reception with you so that they can prove that you are a guest. It’s so simple. Just shut up and be a gentleman instead of a blathering wise-ass. It’s like black people want an immediate trial, judge and jury to settle up on the spot.
@JoEllen Could not agree with you more…this is exactly what he could have done & avoided all the drama. Crying on Twitter or FB gets you no where.
Usually we get that. How about Earl providing some customer service and wait for Mr. Massey to finish. During that time Im sure he could harrass/ask other people in the lobby for their room numbers.
He was providing customer service. Being a security guard he was hired to do exactly what he was doing. I would say very good customer service provided by the security guard.
@DJack,
If you look at the video, Earl was completely calm and patient, he did wait but Mr. Massey decided to keep talking, debating, arguing, insisting his phone call was all that mattered…..and still Earl did nothing wrong and waited for the police. Mr. Massey was a just being a rude windbag when all he had to do was comply – “Okay, let’s go over to reception and clear this matter up in 30 seconds”. Some people want trouble, they ask for it, all the while making a complete mountain out of a molehill – that would be Mr. Massey.
Exactly. This case reminds me of the “Hugh Mungus” video where a woman was filming this guy who made a crack about himself and she thought it’s sexual harassment. She follows him for minutes while filming, hoping for him to make his “harassment” caught on video so she would get justification for her feelings. What she got instead, was national embarrassment as the guy was perfectly calm and people saw how SHE was instead harassing HIM. In the end, a security guard had to intervene, which is exactly what happened here as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzA4dCT4X0I
I just watched the videos and have a few observations:
1. Massey appears to be the only person sitting in the lobby. To suggest that Earl should have checked the room keys of folks walking into the elevator is not the same as what was asked if Massey.
2. He was clearly disrespectful and dismissive of Earl for the first part of this exchange. He didn’t even remove his feet from the couch until the manager (who appears to be a Hispanic) showed up.
3. How convenient that his video stops once the police arrive. Makes it impossible to verify a number of details that happened at that time.
I take an opposing view to Matthew. I believe him being questioned initially was indeed race-motivated. There may have been a valid concern as well, but race played the primary role. However, it apppears that Massey’s attitude and actions following the initial confrontation are what resulted in his ejection from the hotel, and that was in part justified.
It funny how you dismiss Earl’s behavior. Mr. Massey did not have the obligation to stop his phone conversation to please Earl. Mr. Massey paid to sit in that lobby. He was not trespassing. Please let me know the exact behavior that would warrant ejection from a facility that took his money.
Their homeless population is majority white. Try again. Besides the mans clothes though street wear (hes attending a hiphop concert) are nice and quite expensive. You fail to discuss Hotel Earl’s old Jim Crow era ass probably needs some unconsious bias and customer service training. This is the hospitality industry. If I am a paying customer, I will not be interrupted by a security guard while I am on the phone handling an emergency, unless they are concerned for my safety. I will be happy to answer any questions they may have at my earliest convenience. Paying customer.
@DJack:
Maybe you are right. I wish we had uninterrupted video.
AA person. Matthew you can’t have an opinion,mayonnaise.hip hop concert. Former FBI Agent, I call BS. That needs to be checked if that’s not true, his whole story is not credible.
Actually he paid to be in a room, he did not pay to be in a lobby, that’s not even an option. But you already knew this, yet you still said what you said. Gee, I wonder why… Anyway, since you are ignoring the obvious, I will point it out to you. The “exact” behavior that got him thrown out was him dismissing a security guards questions. Plain and simple, but the pathetic part is that you knew that already and yet here I am, pointing out what you are pretending to not know. If black people would stop being so anti-white, many of these situations would NEVER happen.
Sorry Matt but it seems to me that every time there is an issue like this white people seem to want to bend over backwards trying to find where the black person somehow caused the issue. You are doing it here.
These issues certainly intrigue me as I try to better practice what it means to “love thy neighbor as thyself…”
I actually think ANDY K makes a very good point above. And that gets to the heart of the issue, doesn’t it? Say race was the motivating factor for why Jermaine was questioned.
Is his attitude justified? Can we laud another human being for being dismissive and condescending to another?
Racists would call Jermaine’s language “uppity”. Defenders would say that he was answering hate and aggression with understandable annoyance and therefore justified. But wouldn’t this entire issue have been a non-issue, even if Jermaine had refused to show key while on his call, if he had just been kind to the security guard?
Or are the power structures so firmly ensconced that the outcome was already pre-determined?
Sorry but that’s bullshit………. That’s what the used to tell black people during Jim Crow. If you just had been a little nicer we would not have had to lynch you. Why is Massey’s behavior subject to any scrutiny? He didn’t have the obligation to be nice. They however did when they took his money. He was not there for free.
Humans have an obligation to be nice to one another.
Your first sentence is a non-sequitur. This isn’t about a fundamental abrogation of a constitutionally-protected and innate human right. This is about pride. It’s why I would be angry too if someone asked me to prove my innocence, which is what Earl did. But please, for the sake of all those who died by lynching, don’t make that insulting false comparison.
I have been black my entire life. I will tell you that when things like this happen they do make you feel like you have been lynched. Dealing with stuff like this drains your spirit and soul. It’s a slow death for some people. Racism is about power not pride. It was Earl’s intent to show this black man who was in charge. Earl was pissed because he was dismissed by Mr. Massey. Earl flexed his muscles and kicked the gentleman out of the hotel. Mr. Massey is now flexing back and good for him. Earl is about to learn it’s not the 60’s, Everybody the police included underestimated Mr. Massey’s resolve not to be a victim.
Lastly, the notion that you can ever be nice to a racist is ridiculous. Earl came to the transaction believing that man did not belong, I am not sure whether being nice to Earl would have made a difference.
The Black Man is not under any contractual obligated to be nice. And why do you believe that the dynamics of respectability should work evenhandedly in these situations when clearly you admit that racism could have played a part in the initial questioning?
We are all obligated to treat others the way we would want to be treated. We should not return evil for evil. And those who thwart justice should always be held accountable for their actions, to ensure that such philosophy is not used for the strong to enslave the weak.
Projection much? Alan, everytime a black person has anything happen to them, black people and liberals go out of their way to make it about race, and 99.9999999% of the time, race has nothing to do with it. Just like this incidient, only a truly racist person would find racism in this situation. This only racial aspect of this was a black man ignoring a white man’s question because of his skin color.
How many non-minorities were asked that day in the lobby to present their eoom number and or a room key by the Security Guard/Hotel Staff? I’ll wait…
Would the answer change your opinion?
It could. It could eliminate /rule out unconscious bias.
So everytime a black person is questioned, white people have to be questioned to balance it out? Can you even see the ignorance in your mentality?
Interesting discussion but have to say I agree with Matthew here, the problem wasn’t being asked to show his key, the real problem was that they didn’t apologise and leave him alone once he established he was a guest.
For the commenters here insisting the guard had no right asking him to show his key, that is ridiculous. I have indeed been asked to show my key before (for example when coming back to an upscale hotel after a jog, wearing a tracksuit) and I never took offence. The guard’s job is to ensure safety of all guests and checking to make sure no one is hanging around the lobby that shouldn’t be there is integral to that. It’s unfair to ascribe racial motivations to the basic question of “can you show your key please to prove you are a guest?”, especially since there is no video of that early exchange.
None of this changes the fact of how appalling and totally unacceptable it is that they continued to bring the police and kick him out once they had established he was a guest. I hope he receives compensation from the hotel for that, and that’s where it seems to me this became a racial issue.
Well said
nope, he was acting like a dick and if you act like a dick, then service should be denied. I would have thrown his ass out too, don’t want to prove to the security guard that you belong there, then get the fcuk out. You paid, well here’s your money back and never return to any hotels we own. Plain and simple.
No you dont want to leave your business name cause you know you done messed up and now your company will fail if you do CHICKEN $%^#.. Man up put it out there.
@ Dusty you can put your real name here & I will make sure you are definitely not welcome at any of the properties we own. Let’s see who is chickening out now
Why isn’t there a single person in here stating facts? Matthew is as polite as can be around this topic, I commend him for that.
But let’s talk some honest words: racial profiling when it comes to loitering, violent crimes etc. exists for a reason. Some sub-segments (for whatever reason; poverty, culture, etc.) are responsible for far higher crime rates than others.
If you don’t want to get racially profiled, talk to your community about not giving people a reason to profile you.
I hope this applies to whites like Earl. Earl is a racist are you?
I mostly agree with your take here. There were mistakes made on both sides. Mr Massey should have perhaps been a bit more forthcoming with his room key but this is minor imho. In my view the biggest mistake made was by the Hotel after they had confirmed Mr. Massey as a guest. They had the right to ask him if he was a guest but it should have ended once he (eventually) produced the key. Yes it is unfortunate he was seemingly profiled by security but given the homeless person menace in the West coast, it’s more one of those stupid small issues that could have been handled without much fuss. They should have apologized for asking him, explained why they did so and maybe offered some minor compensation if he felt singled out by them. Kicking him out was an insanely stupid, inconsiderate move and Mr Massey needs to sue and use the trial to humiliate Hyatt as an example to others.
Doubletree isn’t Hyatt.
I’m a white girl. I can sit in a hotel lobby and no one asks me a thing. Doesn’t matter if I’m dressed like trash. I routinely use hotel rest rooms in cities because I know I can walk in the lobby and no one says anything. That’s privilege. We fail to understand that invisibility is privilege. Not having to prove you belong places you belong and being able to be places you probably don’t belong. That’s privilege. You didn’t do anything wrong to get it. It isn’t a reason to feel bad. It’s something to see. He was on a call. He had the legal right to be there. He had paid to be there. Security guards are everywhere now. Let’s be clear. They constantly reach out to protect people who look like me and accuse people who look like him. That’s where we live. Let’s say a manager thought I didn’t belong. They might ask me again to produce my key. They wouldn’t call 911. Calling 911 is reserved for threats. I am not a threat. At worst it would be a customer service issue. They called the police. As if he had done something to threaten them. Even if he were trespassing he hadn’t done anything to hurt or threaten anyone. Once they determined he was a guest why not send him back to his room with an apology. Frankly they owed him a serious apology. That’s a manager calls and gives you dinner in the hotel for free incident. Not a you go get your stuff and get evicted incident. That’s racism. That needs a lawsuit.
oh please. I’m hispanic and I have seen white people get questioned, don’t even try that crap. Do you sit with your feet on the furniture and ignore security guards? Of course you don’t, so therefore you don’t come across problems like he does for acting like that. This has nothing to do with race, it is all about behavior and he was being a dick, he deserved to get thrown out for ignoring a security guard. If I get questioned by hotel guard, then I answer the questions and show my room key. See how easy that is? Well this ahole couldn’t do that extremely simple thing and therefore he got his ass thrown out. Justified!!!
As a person of color (Asian), I’m all too aware of racial profiling. When I’m somewhere where I KNOW racial profiling will occur (e.g. fancier hotels), the “professional” side of me comes out more. Why? Because I don’t want to deal with the headaches of people like this security officer.
I know when I’m being racially profiled. Most people of color do. The cover story is always about “safety and security” and “following the rules”, yet it’s typically enforced when dealing with just people of color. And it happens more than people realize. At the end of the day, no one should have to have their guard up so much to prevent this kind of harassment, but it’s the reality of the world we live in. Sadly.
With regard to how Massey “should’ve” handled the guard in the beginning…he shouldn’t have “had to do” anything. A simple observation from afar would’ve revealed that he was not a threat. Could he have diffused the situation better? Yes, he could have. But he shouldn’t have had to…at all.
When people of color “have to do things the right way” or a “more careful way” than a white person in order to protect themselves in very basic situations, that is the tell-tale sign of ingrained of racism.
Even if he’d handled this in the most ideal way possible and nothing came of it, it was still racism. That’s the part we all need to see and understand.
nope, any argument that starts with “as a person of color” is automatically full of crap. I am “a person of color” and I would never say what you said. People get discriminated against when they give someone a reason to think that way. Nobody sees a asian guy and thinks “there goes the neighboorhood” so cut the crap. Also how full of crap are you when you think white people that act up don’t get the same treatment as a non-white person. Oh please, As A Person Of Color, I am telling you that you are full of crap. If you disagree with me, you are a racist, because as a person of color what I say goes and if I declare something racist, then it is racist, to hell with facts. LOL
Ahh, the white moderate who can obscure latent racism in a tapestry of sophistry and counterfactuals. It must be nice to be born with such mind-numbing privilege.
You sound really triggered. You do realize it’s okay to be white, right?
@william Y
That wasn’t his point. No need for the snark. You need to walk a mile in his shoes then judge him.
A mile in his shoes? He is a black man in 2018-2019, he hasn’t experienced any racism compared to his grandparents and he is openly racist against whites. Not exactly the shoes you would wear with any pride.
You are a racist John Allen Shaw, not beating around the bush on it. To call out the authors race and pretend it gives him priviledge only says one thing, that you are focused on race and that is what racists do. Must be nice to be born with such mind-numbing racist priviledge.
Again, thank you to everyone for your comments. One of the most important things we can do in life is to listen and seek to truly understand others. This conversation reveals a deep fissure in American society and merely demonstrates what was already clear: the issue of race and the sin of racism remains a deeply divisive issue.
May each of us examine our own heart and worldviews in an effort to treat every person with dignity and respect.
I was profiled by a hotel security guard last week as I attempted to check-in at a downtown Boston hotel. The door to the lobby is locked after midnight and the security guard asked to see my room key when I attempted to enter.
I told him I didn’t have one yet and I could tell he was keeping an eye on me until it was clear I was, in fact, attempting to check-in.
I had just checked-out of the hotel the previous day, and instead of lugging my suitcase home, I checked it with the hotel staff.
So what do you think? Was the security guard racist since he was black and I am white? Or was he just making an assessment that most people walking in to a hotel after midnight either have a room key or, if checking, have luggage?
To all of you who’ve already posted about your disgust at Matthew’s commentary: please read it carefully and take it at face value.
There is an important nuance is Matthew’s reasoning: he finds the outcome (calling the cops to kick out a black guy who’d proven to be a guest) blatantly racist. He asks whether it’s racist to ask someone who’s sitting in a tucked-away area of the lobby, feet on a couch (not an ottoman) late at night if they’re a guest.
I’m white and dress smartly (just short of a suit), and I know I’ve been asked whether I’m a guest just by entering the hotel late at night. Granted, I’ve always been asked politely and indirectly (as in “may I help you, sir?”), and I always make a point of having my keycard in my hand when entering hotels late at night. That way I can simply reply “no thanks” while raising my hand with the keycard.
To Matthew: despite all I just said, and given all the institutionalised shit that black people face on a daily basis in America (to the point of fatal violence), I think that it is indeed a micro-aggression to simply ask the black guy whether they belong in the hotel. Massey doesn’t look one bit of a loiterer (let alone a homeless guy) to me, even if he was casually dressed.
I think the even more nuanced question you should be asking is this: would a white 30-something year-old dude be asked to prove they’re a guest if dressed in a brand new t-shirt & hoodie and expensive sneakers, while speaking on an iPhone?
And imho, the answer is no, they wouldn’t have. Hence the racist nature of the entire incident.
Does it seem possible that the guard harbors racist tendancies? Yes.
But “seeming” is not as important is “being.”
(Esse quam vederi)
That is why more information is needed than a video that begins AFTER the alleged offending bahvior happens. We did not see what happened before Earl decided to evict Jermaine. No one posting on this forum was there, and therefore we should reserve jugement until all the information is gathered. If you call me racist for wanting to know all the facts, you are supporting impulsivity, which does not support civil society. Sorry, folks, none of us was there and we need more facts before assuming Earl was a racist. It doesn’t look good, I grant you, but time will tell. And don’t presume that a company apology is necessarily indicative of guilt, it is simply smart PR in the current climate.
Matthew, as someone who knows you, spoken with you and generally considers you a friend, I was disappointed in your blaming Mr Massey for what transpired. Your assumption that because he was casually dressed, it is ok for the security guard to think he is homeless? Often people use coded racist words as justification, but observation would quickly note he was not a vagrant loitering. If you need a clue, take a look at his shoes. I work in an area with high levels of homelessness, and I can tell you those who are and those who aren’t. It is not only black people who are homeless, but almost always, their clothes and shoes are quite old and often dirt-stained.
The guard likely identified him over the many others circulating in the halls – including the white kids, and one in – surprise – a hoodie and sneakers – and not asking them for their room number. Further, no security guard should be asking for a room number, rather, the key is what is proof, Mr Massey could have spouted any number!
It is likely you have not been singled out due to your skin color, but do not assume this is the case across all ethnicities! You don’t need to stretch your imagination to see that implicit bias and racism could have played a role in Mr Massey being singled out. It happens, and it happens a lot! What also troubles me about your blog is how far you will stretch the discussion to blame both sides. That really is the same argument people use when they say “Good people on both sides”. Is that harsh, definitely, but ask yourself why in your entire blog, you don’t use the words racism or bias in your writing, something many people are pointing out here. Unfortunately, I have seen past blogs demonstrating the same resistance to call out the bias and racism. I hope the push back you get in the replies tells you something about your “Analysis” as it strikes me as being flawed and blinded to the truth of what initiated and resulted in Mr Massey being kicked from the hotel.
Haung Yu, I thought the samething about the shoes. It seems to me that people are becoming more and more insensitive to situations like this. Im sure Matthew meant well (maybe) but the only thing that will put an end to this is the consequences that come when one profiles or discriminates. The situation is very disheartening because their pride would not let them apologize to an actuall guest (after they found out he was a guest) and thats what makes them seem so crass and uncouth.
And that lack of apology is precisely the problem.
Matthew, you might want to take a step back and not think how you, as a upper middle class, very well educated white guy who in all likelihood has never been racially discriminated against, would react in this situation. You might want to try thinking about this from an African American’s view of having almost certainly been racially discriminated against, watched innocent fellow African Americans on television being cursed at, spit on, screamed at, and yes shot and killed by the police that are supposed to protect them. And other commenters are correct, you live in a very rarified city if the homeless there have cell phones. That is certainly not the case here in the NW. What your analysis showed me is that you really don’t have a clue because you think everyone should react like you. This is the arrogance of America: everyone should be like us.
Your argument is void the second you pretend that police kill black men just for being black. That is absolute horsesiht and you know it. You would have to be living under a rock to not know that white people get shot be cops more than black people do, EVERY SINGLE YEAR. Spreading ignorance is more dangerous than your simple @$$ will ever be able to grasp.
@william Y
That wasn’t his point. No need for the snark. You need to walk a mile in his shoes then judge him.
That is impossible to know in hindsight. The perpetrators can just claim they weren’t racist, but legitimately concerned about issues.
Black people always have the race card they can use when they feel they are mistreated. The same goes for women that get turned down on a job or some other exclusion: they can always claim “sexism” as one of their defensive tools. And they use it often.
Reasonable article, well thought out. For the idiots finding imaginary offence on simple facts, or claiming racism or privilege, you prove the point that reasoned debate is now dead. Since I am a transgender black Hispanic female homosexual, my opinion trumps all of yours, and if you disagree with me, you need to check your privilege.
Actually the behaviour of the hotel employees was racist and there is no excuse like having a homeless problem or problem with loitering. If you are a hotel employee and see someone in the lobby and you are not sure if he belongs there, there are dozens of ways to check his status in an unobtrusive manner.
He has a contract with the hotel for a room and paid money for it. The police is also in the wrong in telling him it would be tresspassing if he stayed. Most of us here probably have rented an appartement. Imagine you are paying your rent and one day your landlord is at the front door and asks you to leave immediately. Then the cops arrive and tell you if you do not leave immediately you would be trespassing. This would of course not be the case. They would be wrong. This is not the law, not in the US not in any other civilized country.
This is nothing else here. He has a valid contract for a room which the hotel has no right to simply cancel without cause. Actually he could on the contrary force the hotel to fulfill the contract and call the police to get entry into his rented room. So I am wondering why the policemen gave this wrong advice. Are they lacking basic law training or was it because he was black, too?
They tried, he was not cooperating, so they called the cops. He was being racist against the white security guard by ignoring his requests (he would not have ignored a black security guard,) so they threw his @$$ out. If you are racist, you deserve negative treatment, and he got what he deserved, a foot in the @$$. (and before you start with your white priviledge crap, I’m a nearly dirtpoor hispanic born in south america that was raised in a black neighboorhood in New Jersey, so shove that b.s. white priviledge up your @$$.)
I’m white, English, and disappointed and slightly shocked by this tawdry opinion piece. As soon as I read your charged description of what the victim was doing with his feet, everything else became predictable (and depressing). The veiled sneer directed at the homeless put the seal on a vindictive piece of unpleasantness. Thank you for nothing, Matthew.
My name is David and I’m a black man. I was employed at The Red Lion Hotel in Tacoma, WA for a year, Tacoma has a huge homelessness problem, just to put it simply we know whos staying there and who is not for the most part. We had a security guard at the location I worked at and he would often times speculate on the residency of guest but its not hard at all to find out If someone is a guest, alot of the staff shifts overlap and the homeless people that come into your hotel are often the same people. In my time working there I never called the cops on anyone for staying in the lobby as its pretty much a public area. Im a black man so I’ve learned to be extra cautious of my surrounding and be aware that my skin makes people uncomfortable. The notion that they way he dressed we reason to question him is BS his shoes are brand new and expensive If you know shoe prices not that it matters the bigger issue is that you need to know your guests and treat everyone like they are a guest. THE FIRST THING I WOULD HAVE DONE is ask my staff hey is that guy a guest, If i didn’t get confirmation I would have waited to see where the man went If he went to a room the issue is over the job of security is to act on potential threats to the staff and follow the wish of said staff not to be a rouge authority figure or vigilante the hotel that I worked at is oddly enough a Hilton now Its important to note that the manager was not managing in the situation either he was backing up the security guard and thats a problem you never under any circumstance back up an employee when they are wrong especially in fornt of a guest If you are the manager you pull the customer to the side and you’re attitude is not standoffish its contrite and empathetic a simple separation of the security guard and the customer and asking hey what seems to be the issue her would have easily defused this situation and easy way to find out is start vacuuming we would ask customer politely to leave the lobby to vacuum and when they leave you watch the camera If you don’t think they are a resident If they go to their room you know but bottom line it should have never gotten to that point and the whole “Homelessness” angle is a cop out funny how the well dressed conservative guy finds a way to blame the black guy and the homeless for the racism and lack of managerial skill displayed here simply can’t understand …. I know my grammar right ??
If you read what I wrote, I clearly put the ultimate blame on the manager, Luis. I am glad he was fired.
“I clearly put the ultimate blame on the manager, Luis. I am glad he was fired.”
You still don’t get it Matt. Mr. Massey did nothing wrong. Your words still suggest Mr. Massey had something to do with how he was treated. He did not.
Putting your feet up on furniture and ignoring a security guard, yeah he did nothing wrong… Cut the crap Alan, we all know he was being a dick against a white security guard because of his race, plain and simple. Stop making excuses for uncivilized behavior just because he is black (which, btw, is still racist to defend someone solely based on their race, which is what you are doing.)
The entire situation is pretty sad but honestly there is some ignorance within this piece. It’s stated that this happened in a city with a growing problem with homelessness – What homeless person do you know with a cellphone? I imagine he had a decent one at the very least costing $300+. Sure, phones can be stolen but again, if they observed more than the fact that he’s black, they’d have seen that he doesn’t look dirty and I’m assuming he didn’t smell like he was homeless. From the few pieces of clothing you can see in his videos, it doesn’t appear that they were tattered either. What part of that appearance screams homeless to you? Blaming the victim for their attire is never okay and people need to quit that stupid argument already. If this city is used to homeless people, I’m sure they’re also used to how the homeless people in that area look. I bet they’re even familiar with the homeless that frequent that area. If they’ve never seen him there before, why would that be cause for them to think he’s homeless? I’m not certain what reason the idiots in the video gave for kicking him out, but I’m willing to be that wasn’t the reason.
I’m black and when I first heard about this, I figured maybe the guy was being loud in the lobby. I’ve yet to find my answer on that but even so, I’ve witnessed plenty of white men raging about in stores, hotels, etc. and yet not one police or manager was called. The hotel could have avoided the issue by simply asking the man if he was alright if he seemed upset during his phone call prior to calling security and the police.
If that hotel has such a grand issue with people loitering or wandering through causing a ruckus, then they need to check keys at the door for EVERYONE to avoid anymore issues like this. If he was so suspicious, they should have approached him when he walked in instead of after he sat there on the phone for awhile.
I do understand that you were trying to show empathy but it fell a bit flat. I don’t think you were showing privilege but I think you could have found another “maybe this is why” instead of choosing homelessness.
Matthew,
Excellent article. But I’m more suspicious of the guest at this point as you are.
How did Mr. Massey happen to video the encounter and immediately post it with a narrative. Could be he did it all spontaneously. But I strongly suspect that he set up the scene–dressed in jeans, hoodie and sneakers, feet up on the couch, talking loudly on his cell phone–in order to deliberately provoke the outcome that he got. That’s why he was all ready to document it.
I tried not to respond but I will. @Matthew…
I’m far from being a person who is sensitive when it comes to certain things. So, I will give you a straight up honest assessment of your responses and attempts to defend your view.
Yes.. I see how you were trying to be empathetic. And, to a certain degree you were.. However!.. Once you start throwing out stats, you are defending “profiling”
As you must know.. “Profiling” is an action that is motivated by a person’s perception of an individual or group. It’s not always motivated by race, but can be motivated by the color of sneakers, hairstyle.. a hoody..
Once you posted stats on the number of homeless people in Oregon.. you lost any type of support you had, because you were pushed to the point you had to defend yourself and you figured that would be your ace.. regardless of why you put it and who you were responding to, that act in itself, without you being aware of it, shows support to what profiling is.
You mentioned.. Jermaine should have thought about maybe the hotel deals with a homeless problem.. maybe Oregon’s black homeless numbers are up 11% and maybe this Security guard thinks im homeless even though I have on a nice pair of sneakers, clean pair of jeans and clean hoody, maybe I should stop this phone conversation with my mother who contacted me this time of the day to answer a security guard who probably approached me in a disrespectful manner..
Not once did you mention what the security guard should be thinking before he approached Mr. Massey.
Im well aware of social issues. Well aware of race dealings. Well aware of HISTORY… Please do better next time or clearly stay away from any social & race columns because you’re not experienced enough in understanding what’s actually going on.
“you’re not experienced enough in understanding what’s actually going on.”
is what I hear from people who disagree with my point of view.
Nevertheless, thank you for taking the time to comment. I do not dismiss the thought and care that went into this comment and seek to continually learn from the experience of others.
stats are not profiling, they are averages based on facts, not opinions. Facts are not racist, profiling based on common sense observations are not racist (nothing called common sense can fall under racism.) Also, yes, if a security guard approaches you and asks you something, you stop what you are doing and you answer the question. If you don’t, you are being a prick and starting problems. What you are doing is not more important than an authority figure’s questions. The guy wanted a problem and he got what he wanted. Only a liberal piece of crap would find a problem with being asked a question by a security guard.
1) Since when has casual dress been equated with homelessness? The man was wearing BRAND NEW SNEAKERS/SHOES, when last have you seen a homeless Man wearing Brand new designer shoes? When Last have you seen a Homeless wearing Brand New designer Shoes, a Brand New Sweater and talking on a CELL PHONE?— Some richest white people Dress like they are Homeless….lol…we was dressed no different than say a Mark Zuckerberg, or a Steve Jobs—-some of the Richest white people i know regularly wear Five year old beaten up tennis shoes and ripped acid washed jeans casually .
2)You claim he had his feet propped up on the couch, but i cant find this in any official news report. I have not seen any video footage of him doing so. If you can find an official statement of some sort from mr. Massey or the hotel expressing this idea please share, or maybe you have a link to a video displaying him doing so.
3)”Rather than head upstairs, he sat down in the lobby to take a call”, as a paying customer he has every right to take a phone call in the lobby.
4)you stated in your article, “Massey became annoyed and asked the guard to leave him alone”. Again where did you get these “Facts” from? Massey according to all reports, responded to earl the security guard by informing he was in fact a guest, but did not remember his room number [This has happened to me before, more than once-causing me to have to go to the front desk to ask them for my room number]. All this after having his phone call rudely interrupted. Earl could have easily corroborated this fact with the font desk. In the extended video Mr. Massey tells the Police officer that he showed Earl his key, and that they have video cameras in the lobby that he can surely check to verify that he indeed did so.
5) You stated in your article ” The security Guards reaction on video SUGGESTS that massey had not produced it [Room number/Key] earlier”… This is the reaction of a man who as already committed to “kicking him out” of the establishment and has already got the management and police involved. Why would he react any different, especially knowing he is now on camera?
6)If the hotel has a homeless problem, then maybe EVERY guest should be stopped and questioned, especially the ones getting on the elevators going upstairs where the security of the guest and their propertoes are most at risk. If the City has a homelessness problem to that degree a better system can and should be put in place that does not single out guest on the sole discretion of prejudice security.
7)You claim he was sitting in a PRIVATE part of the lobby….lol. Where did you get this from? Private?…. The lobby is the most public space of any hotel! Yes, it maybe a private property [The hotel] but mr. Massey contracted with the property owners to use their private property temporariy as a tenant at a cost which he paid in full. I do not recall anyone of the employees in the video claiming that the lobby is off limits to guest. Was there a sign saying “Lobby Private-No Guests allowed”?
8) you say “he was certainly singled out for sitting in a desserted part of the lobby late at night”. There are all kinds of activity going on around them in the video although late night, people walking around and the like, hotels are a 24-hour business. Was he supposed to find the most populated area. The Bar maybe. To have private quiet conversation with his Mother who was having some kind of health emergency.
9) you say in one of the videos he admits “he appeared suspicious”. Really? when? where?…
10) Mathew I think you are in need of “implicit bias training” yourself. You obviously do not “get it”. You have the same implicit Bias and racial biases as all three of these weak-minded men unjust men in the video who attempted to devalue and dehumanize mr. Massey. The bigger problem is that you are not even aware of it.
Wow, I was a fan of your reviews, Matthew, but after reading your take on this situation, I will no longer be following your blog.
Massey deliberately set up that situation so he could be “discriminated against”, and all the usual media types and lefties willingly fell for it. He was harassing the guard and manager to get his desired video, and video proof of his “grievance”. Remember, this happened a relatively short time ago, but it was before Jazmine Barnes, Covington, and Jussie Smollett became news, so there was very little in the way of objective journalism happening. Don Lemon interviewed Massey sympathetically, but saw no need to get the other side of the story.
He acted disruptive as a prelude to accusing the guard and manger of racism, and that was his aim from the start. He acted very suspiciously, claimed not to know his room number, and only showed his receipt and key TO THE CAMERA, not to the guard or manager. By the time the police were called, AT MASSEY’S REQUEST, it was too late for the manager or guard to call it off.
I doubt Jermaine Massey is his real name. He’s a fraud. He has an awful lot of gray hair for a 34-year-0ld, and he doesn’t strike me as educated enough to be a former FBI agent, as he claimed.
There was a Jermaine Massey, age 35, who was justly shot to death by police early in 2017 in South Carolina. I believe this supposed Jermaine Massey was perpetrating some social justice in the name of his fallen comrade.
He has an awful lot of gray hair for a 34-year-old.
Matthew I for one don’t think you’re racist but you may hold some racist views without realising it.
You’ve mention the black homelessness problem in the area.. as a way to slightly justify racial profiling.
I’ll put it this way, even if all homeless people were black, do you think it will be right to treat black guests with suspicion?
If they have a problem with homeless people then there should have been a system in place eg”excuse me sir, we have a problem of loitering in the area, are you a guest? … can you kindly show me your card?”
It annoys me when people rest their feet on chairs and they deserve to be shot..
But the guard and hotel manager failed to treat this person as a guest of the hotel.
They didn’t give him the benefit of the doubt.
To Massey’s defence, I’d also be pissed off if a waiter or a hotel employee comes and interrupts my conversation with my mother.
He wouldn’t have done it to an elderly white lady so why should he do it to a young black man?
Would you answer the last question for me if you can please.
No one should be discriminated against on the basis of their skin color. I still wonder how much the feet on the furniture incident had to do with this.