Guest says Hilton 'racially profiled' him by calling police over lobby phone call

A black man claims a Hilton Hotel in Oregon "racially profiled" and "discriminated" against him after he was evicted from the property for allegedly taking a phone call in the lobby. 

Jermaine Massey said the DoubleTree by Hilton Portland called the police on him for speaking on the phone to his mother, accusing him of posing a safety threat to the other guests and causing a disturbance.

"I was racially profiled and treated unfairly for no other reason, other than from my point of view … my race," Massey said in a series of Instagram videos that detailed his side of the story. "There were other patrons in the lobby at that time. None of them were questioned … and I was."

Massey said he received a call from his mother after returning to the hotel Saturday following a Travis Scott concert nearby. He said he immediately answered the call, worried that it was an emergency judging by how late it came in. 

That's when Massey said a white hotel security guard named Earl approached him mid-call, inquiring about his room number and whether he was checked into the property. Massey said he confirmed he was a guest in the midst of his phone conversation, then asked the guard to "leave me alone right now?"

The situation quickly escalated. Massey said the security guard accused him of trespassing and not complying when asked his room number: "He proceeds to call the cops on me for no reason, none, other than I was sitting in the lobby minding my business taking a phone call."

Portland Police told USA TODAY that officers responded to DoubleTree Hotel Portland "regarding a person who hotel staff were (removing) from the property."

"The employees, who had authority to (remove) people from the hotel, requested the officer contact a person in the lobby they had reportedly directed to leave the property," the statement reads.

Massey said he was forced to gather his items from his hotel room and leave the property or be arrested by the officers for trespassing. He said he was not issued a refund.

"I guess because I was dressed kind of casual tonight … (in) sneakers and jeans and a hoodie that he profiled me and thought I couldn’t afford to stay there and he questioned me thinking I wasn’t a legitimate patron at the hotel," Massey said, adding that several white patrons in the lobby area were not asked if they were registered. "It wasn't right."

Massey posted videos of the confrontation on his Instagram. In one video, the security guard said police were coming to "escort you off-property." When Massey stated that he is staying in the hotel, the guard replied, "Not anymore."

In another video, Massey showed his interaction with the hotel manager he identified as Luis and a Portland police officer who told Massey, "Earl is in control of the property. … If he says you gotta leave, you gotta leave."

USA TODAY has reached out to Hilton for comment. 

"Racism is still alive and well," Massey said from another hotel room he booked following the ordeal. "It's sad that people have to go through these things. And I know I’m not the only one, I’m not the first and I’m not the last. But I will not stand for injustice."

Related: The brands, hotel rooms of Hilton Hotels and Resorts, by the numbers