Social media users are outraged after a video was released showing a security guard at a hotel in Oregon calling the police on a black guest who was taking a phone call in the lobby.
Jermaine Massey said he was dealing with a family emergency before going up to his room at the DoubleTree Hotel in Portland when he was approached by a security guard who said he was a "safety threat to other guests" and that he was "trespassing".
Jermaine Massey (right) alleges he was unfairly treated by a hotel in Oregon who said he was a 'safety threat to other guests'. Source: Instagram
"Booked a hotel room, came down to see the Travis Scott show and I was racially profiled and treated unfairly, for no other reason, from my point of view, it had to be my race because there were other patrons in the lobby at the time," he said in a video posted to Instagram.
"I plan to try and seek justice and make sure it didn't happen to anyone else."
An earlier video shows the security guard watching over Mr Massey while he speaks calmly into the camera.
"Portland police will be here in a minute," the guard said.
"Call them, I'm waiting," Mr Massey responded. "Why are they coming?"
"To escort you off the property."
The hashtag #HotelEarl - the name on the security guard's badge - has now gone viral as social media users demand justice from the hotel.
Mr Massey's video also shows an interaction between him and the hotel staff member who had called the police on instruction from the security guard, asking Mr Massey "what the issue is", after he had already made the call.
When asked what room he is in, Mr Massey shows his room key to the hotel staff and the camera. He alleges that he had his room key in his hand the entire time.
Once the police arrived, Mr Massey said he was told to retrieve his personal property from his room and he then decided to leave the hotel due to fear of being arrested.
On Thursday, the hotel posted a statement to their Facebook page calling the incident "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," it read.
"We are a place of public accommodation and place a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion and our hotel does not discriminate against any individual or group."
