DoubleTree Fires Staff That Had Black Guest Thrown Out By Police

PORTLAND, OR – The DoubleTree Hotel by the Lloyd Center has fired the employees that called police to evict a registered guest who is black, Jermaine Massey. The decision, announced on Twitter, followed by a day their announcement that the chain had suspended the employees – a manager and a security guard, both of whom are white.

"We have terminated the employment of the two men involved in the mistreatment of Mr. Massey," the hotel said on Twitter. "Their actions were inconsistent with our standards & values.

"We reiterate our sincere apology for what he endured & will work with diversity experts to ensure this never happens again."

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The hotel's decision on Friday to suspend the employees came with their first full apology to Massey, who was making his first trip to Portland. They had previously released a statement earlier in the week in which they said the incident was "likely" the result of a "misunderstanding" between Massey, and staff.

The incident, much of which Massey captured on video, has received national attention.

"We sincerely apologize to Mr. Massey for his treatment this past weekend, and deeply regret the experience he endured," the hotel said in their statement on Friday. "It was unacceptable and contrary to our values, beliefs and how we seek to treat all people who visit our hotel.

We have a zero-tolerance stance on discrimination of any kind, and do not tolerate behavior of that nature."

The hotel also announced on Friday that "the employees involved have since been placed on leave for the duration of this investigation, and we will take the appropriate measures to ensure this does not happen again."

DoubleTree says they are reaching out to community leaders and will retain an outside party to investigate their "processes, protocols and trainings."

One of Massey's lawyer, Greg Kafoury, says that Massey's story " has caught the public imagination because it presents all the ugliest elements of racial profiling in modern America: the arrogance of power, the disrespect for the dignity of black Americans, and the hollowness of corporate response to casual corporate racism."

Massey had been staying at the hotel last weekend, making his first-ever visit to Portland. He was in town to see Travis Scott in concert at the Moda Center.

After the concert, he returned to the hotel and was in the lobby when he returned a call to his mother who'd called him earlier.

What follows was memorialized in police reports, Massey's Instagram posts – which included video of the incident – and a letter from his lawyers at Kafoury & McDougal.

That phone call to his mom led to a white security guard approaching him while a manager called the police.

Massey, who recorded his interaction with the security guard, was told that he had to leave, he was being "trespassed" – forbidden to be in the hotel.

Even though he was a registered guest, he showed his key to the security guard, he had stuff up in his room, police told him that he had to go.

The security guard told him that he posed a "security threat" to the other guests.

A police officer explained that Massey would be arrested for trespassing if he didn't leave.

The officer then escorted him to his room so he could get his stuff.

Massey told his lawyer that the officer had offered him to drive him to another hotel but that he declined the offer, pointing out that he had his own car and didn't feel like leaving in the back of a police car.

The "security threat" issues was raised again by the hotel chain when they finally issued their first response to the incident days after it had happened.

Their statement, which said the thing was likely the result of a "misunderstanding" between Massey and hotel staff, added that "safety and security of our guests and associates is our top priority."

Massey has retained the law firm of Kafoury & McDougal to represent him.

Jason Kafoury says that while DoubleTree says that they would like to meet with Massey, they have two questions that they want answered:

"1. As the video shows, the incident took place in a quiet corner of the hotel lobby which was open to the public. At the time, Mr. Massey was returning a personal phone call from his mother who lives on the East Coast. Why was Mr. Massey approached by security? Why was he interrogated?

2. The security guard told Mr. Massey that he was a "threat to security," a statement echoed by the hotel chain's press release, which states, "Safety and security of our guests and associates is our top priority." Please explain in detail in what manner Mr. Massey was a threat to safety or security."

"Once these questions are fully and completely answered," Massey might be willing to speak publicly about what happened, Kafoury says.

"The hotel has requested a private discussion, but Mr. Massey was publicly humiliated. Therefore, he demands a public statement response."

While the hotel has issued a statement since Kafoury sent his questions, DoubleTree has not yet responded to them.

Photo via Jason Kafoury.