PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man from Kent, Washington who was registered as a guest at the DoubleTree hotel in the Lloyd Center was asked to leave by hotel officials while he was sitting in the lobby making a phone call.

Jermaine Massey was in Portland to see Travis Scott at the Moda Center on December 22, The Oregonian/OregonLive reports, when he got a late night call from his mother on the East Coast.

He sat in the lobby of the DoubleTree to take the call. While he was on the phone, a security guard came up to him, told him to leave and called the police.

Massey, who is black, recorded the encounter with a security guard named Earl on his phone and posted it to Instagram. In those posts, he claims he was racially profiled.

Hotel management called police and said Massey was trespassing. When police arrived, hotel employees pointed out Massey as the trespasser.

In an Instagram post, Massey wrote: “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.”

Portland police confirmed that account.

In a statement to KOIN 6 News Christmas Day, police said: “The employees, who had authority to trespass people from the hotel, requested the officer contact a person in the lobby they had reportedly directed to leave the property.The officer spoke with the man, who gathered his items and left the location. Prior to the man departing from the location, the Portland Police Bureau Officer offered the man assistance to a new hotel and at that time the man declined the offer.”

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports DoubleTree management, in a statement, said the whole incident was a misunderstanding and their hotel staff does not discriminate against people based on race.



In a Wednesday statement to KOIN 6 News, DoubleTree General Manager Paul Peralta said:

“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.”

In the conclusion of his Instagram post, Massey wrote: “It is never ok to discriminate against guests for the color of their skin and to prejudge them based on your own bias against that race. Earl is a disgrace, calls himself a man but calls the Portland Police Dept on a man who was minding his own business in the lobby of his hotel. I had my hotel key in my hand the entire conversation, he knew I was a guest. He wanted to prove a point and did it in the worst way. Not really shocked that this happened but just extremely disappointed. I will be seeking justice. Believe that. @doubletree @doubletreepdx@hiltonhonors #hilton #hiltonhotels#racism #racisminamerica #racismisreal@shaunking

KOIN 6 News has not yet heard back from Massey or from officials with the DoubleTree in the Lloyd District.