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January 2, 2019
Cops Called on Black Guest
Jermaine Massey (right) shared Instagram photos to show the Portland Hilton/
Doubletree hotel security guard (left) who confronted him for “calling his mother
while black.” Massey had a room in the hotel but was on the phone in the lobby
when he was approached by security and police called.
A white security officer and another em-
ployee at the Portland Hilton/Doubletree
who called police on a black man who was
basically minding his own business while
using a phone in the hotel lobby, were put
on leave Friday after reports of the alleged
racial profiling incident were shared across
the country in Intragram photos and on
news networks.
Jermaine Massey of Kent, Wash. said he
was returning from a Travis Scott concert
at the Moda Center around 11 p.m. on Dec.
22 and had made the phone call from a qui-
et part of the hotel lobby when the securi-
ty guard, identified as Earl Meyers, began
questioning his presence.
After Massey explained he was a guest
The
at the hotel and even showed Meyers his
hotel key, the security guard continued
interrogating him, calling him a “security
threat,” he said. Police were called and he
was escorted to his room to pick up his be-
longings and then kicked out.
After Massey hired a Portland law firm,
Kafoury & McDougal, to represent him
and demanded a public apology, Double-
Tree Portland GM Paul Peralta responded
Friday morning in a statement.
He said the hotel, which is located across
the street from Lloyd Center, “deeply re-
gret[s]” the incident and the employees in-
volved have been placed on administrative
leave. Peralta added the chain has a “zero tol-
erance stance on discrimination of any kind.”
in
Week Review
Hate Speech Vandalism
Two separate real estate offices on North
Williams Avenue and Alberta Street were
hit by vandals over the holidays. The
front windows of Urban Nest Realty and
Living Room Reality were spray painted
with words like “die, gentrified and get
out.”Employees discovered the vandalism
while returning to work after Christmas.
coming,” won by a significant margin,
Gallup says, with Oprah Winfrey coming
in second, followed by former First Lady
and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and
current First Lady Melania Trump.
Second Child Dies at Border
Homeland
Securi-
ty Secretary Kirstjen
Nielsen Friday visited
the Texas border city
where an 8-year-old
Guatemalan boy was
detained with his father
before dying in govern-
ment custody. The child
was the second to die while being held for
Immigration and Customs Enforcment.
Nielsen called the death “deeply concern-
ing and heartbreaking” and requested med-
ical help from other government agencies.
Antarctica Crossing
A Portland man last week became the first
person to cross Antarctica without assis-
tance. Colin O’Brady, 33, set off in Novem-
ber on the nearly 1,000 mile crossing. He
made the journey amid ridged, crevassed
ice, high winds, temperatures dozens of
degrees below zero and pulling a sled that
weighed 375 pounds.
Most Admired Woman
Michelle
Obama
was named the most
admired woman in
America in a new
Gallup poll last
week. Obama, who
is currently touring
to promote her au-
tobiography, “Be-
Male Athlete of the Year
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For the third time, LeBron James was se-
lected last week as The Associated Press
Male Athlete of the Year. James who
reached the NBA finals for the eight con-
secutive year in 2018, remained arguably
the most dominate player in basketball. He
joined the Los Angeles Lakers in the big-
gest move of free agency over the summer.
Stadium Plans Gain Steam
A new letter of intent spells out the financial
considerations between the Port of Portland
and a group seeking to build a stadium for
Major League Baseball on industrial land in
northwest Portland. The private developers
will pay up to $1.5 million over two years
to exclusively negotiate redevelopment of
the waterfront site. The group would then
pay the Port at least $900,000 a year as they
build out the property.