On Friday, actor and comedian Mark Curry documented an incident that occurred between him and a security officer at the Mining Exchange, a Wyndham Grand Hotel & Spa in Colorado Springs.
Curry was in town to do a show nearby and was enjoying a cup of coffee in the lobby at the hotel—where he was staying—and a man who said he was the head of security there inquired if Curry was a guest.
The security guard refused to leave until Curry proved he was, in fact, a guest of the hotel. Meanwhile other guests were enjoying the hotel lobby's amenities without being questioned.
Curry's 26-minute video showed security following him around the hotel.
In the posted video he said:
"If you're Black and you're in Colorado Springs, you can't be in the lobby."
"Wow! This is crazy, isn't it?"
Another hotel employee accused Curry of using the "race card."
Later in the video, Curry informed the front desk he would like to call the police because men who claimed to be security were following him around without providing him with any identification.
"I would like to call the police on this guy for following me. I don't know who he is."
The woman told Curry the man was one of their engineers and was seeking Curry's guest status "for safety."
Once in his hotel room Curry said:
"A Black man can't go nowhere in America."
"Black man and a hotel lobby—it's impossible that he has a room here."
"No, I have a suite!"
"He walks up to me with no badge on. I don't know who this man is."
The full video is below.
Curry's Hangin' with Mr. Cooper costar Holly Robinson Peete shared her disgust over the incident and slammed the "unacceptable" racial profiling.
She first tweeted:
"Sending love out to my costar and friend @MARKCURRY... just finding out about this awful profiling harassment he was subjected to in Colorado Springs."
"I hope the Hotel has apologized to him at least."
"UNACCEPTABLE"
\u201cSending love out to my costar and friend @MARKCURRY\u2026 just finding out about this awful profiling harassment he was subjected to in Colorado Springs. I hope the Hotel has apologized to him at least\ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffd\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffd\u200d\u2640\ufe0f UNACCEPTABLE \ud83d\ude21\nHave a call in Mark to get an update\u2026This is us in June\u2026\u201d— Holly Robinson Peete \ud83d\udc83\ud83c\udffe\u264d\ufe0f (@Holly Robinson Peete \ud83d\udc83\ud83c\udffe\u264d\ufe0f) 1670719421
Peete followed up:
"I watched the whole video."
"There was no reason for Mark to be singled out except for the fact that he's a black man."
"Since when do you have to identify yourself sitting in the lobby drinking coffee."
"This would be farcical if it wasn't so disrespectful."
I watched the whole video. There was no reason for Mark to be singled out except for the fact that he’s a black man. Since when do you have to identify yourself sitting in the lobby drinking coffee. This would be farcical if it wasn’t so disrespectful @WyndhamHotels 😖 pic.twitter.com/X2jDHXj2Qw
— Holly Robinson Peete 💃🏾♍️ (@hollyrpeete) December 11, 2022
She finished:
"Like...really?!"
"So unnecessary—I'm so sorry this happened @MARKCURRY."
"Then they followed you around and the lady at the front desk was disrespectful, too..."
Like…really?! So unnecessary-I’m so sorry this happened @MARKCURRY then they followed you around and the lady at the front desk was disrespectful too… 😡😡😡 pic.twitter.com/h5H3AnW9hb
— Holly Robinson Peete 💃🏾♍️ (@hollyrpeete) December 11, 2022
Many others on Twitter chimed in with their disappointment and outrage, as well.
\u201cA Black man, actor @MARKCURRY, was subjected to rank racism by multiple @WyndhamHotels staff at The Mining Exchange in the heart of #ColoradoSprings this weekend. A video of his exchanges with staff indicates he was singled out for abuse for exactly one reason: he is not white.\u201d— Quentin Young (@Quentin Young) 1670860824
\u201cGuess @WyndhamHotels still ain't offered an apology to #MarkCurry. An ACTUAL guest at one of your properties staying in a suite being harassed to leave the lobby, although he wasn't bothering ANYONE around his vicinity.\u201d— Renee Larson (@Renee Larson) 1670712283
\u201c\ud83d\udea8BREAKING \u2014 WRONG COMPLEXION FOR PROTECTION Mark Curry (@MARKCURRY) was drinking coffee in the hotel lobby \u201cwhile black\u201d at the @miningexchange which is owned by @WyndhamHotels. @BLKLiberation84 @tariqnasheed\u201d— #FirstThem NEWS\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@#FirstThem NEWS\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1670744589
\u201c@WyndhamHotels so do you normally allow your employees to randomly harass black people ? I mean who doesn't know @MARKCURRY ?\u201d— ShawnNicole Howard (@ShawnNicole Howard) 1670712061
\u201c@WyndhamHotels I'm absolutely shocked & appalled that #MarkCurry was treated like a second class citizen. Where's your papers boy, you don't look like you belong here? I have booked my last #wyndhamhotel stay. Pay attention & know your guest, Marks very tall at 6'6 #Fail #Racism\u201d— BobbyHardyHollywood / CASHAPP $bobby-hardy-x (@BobbyHardyHollywood / CASHAPP $bobby-hardy-x) 1670728793
\u201c.@WyndhamHotels @WyndhamRewards \n\nIs it the policy of your Mining Exchange Colorado Springs Hotel that Black men can\u2019t sit in the lobby and drink coffee?\n\nIf not, why was Mark Curry harassed and profiled?\u201d— Bishop Talbert Swan (@Bishop Talbert Swan) 1670710801
\u201cThe DIRE NEED to harass and provoke a black person who is minding their business is RIDICULOUS in these white ppl. What exactly was the reason for approaching @MARKCURRY and questioning him, when having hundreds of others in there doing the SAME EXACT THING as him? @WyndhamHotels\u201d— Sha\u2653\u2652 (@Sha\u2653\u2652) 1670788497
\u201c@MARKCURRY this dude. \ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffd\u200d\u2640\ufe0fThis is so many levels of wrong\u201d— Holly Robinson Peete \ud83d\udc83\ud83c\udffe\u264d\ufe0f (@Holly Robinson Peete \ud83d\udc83\ud83c\udffe\u264d\ufe0f) 1670719421
Wyndham Hotel & Resorts responded to Peete and many others who voiced concern with a copy-and-paste apology.
\u201c@CreamforKaffe We appreciate your concerns. The hotel\u2019s owner and management team are working to make this right. Room is being refunded and Mr. Curry has an open invitation to return any time in the future at no cost. Hotel is also revisiting staff training to ensure all feel welcome.\u201d— Holly Robinson Peete \ud83d\udc83\ud83c\udffe\u264d\ufe0f (@Holly Robinson Peete \ud83d\udc83\ud83c\udffe\u264d\ufe0f) 1670719421
A representative for Wyndham told EW:
"Employees involved in this matter have been suspended, pending further investigation."
White House press release
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