A Wyndham hotel worker in Colorado who was accused of racially profiling comedian Mark Curry has been suspended.
John Cramm, who has worked as Director of Engineering at The Mining Exchange Hotel in Colorado Springs for just five months, was filmed asking Curry if he was a guest at the hotel.
In the exchange between Curry, Cramm and one other employee last Friday, the comedian told his followers he was sitting in the hotel lobby when he was approached and Cramm asked to see his room key.
'300 white people in the lobby, eating and drinking, and I sit down in the lobby to have some coffee, get out of my room,' said Curry.
'And this motherf***er gonna jam me up. Asking me do I belong in this hotel.' he added.
Comedian Mark Curry claimed in a video he uploaded last Friday that he was sitting in the hotel lobby when he was racially profiled by staff
The hotel said in a statement on Tuesday that it has suspended employees involved in the matter, pending an investigation. It did not name Cramm or the other employee who appears in Curry's video, who appears to be Black.
'We are committed to providing a safe and inclusive space for all guests and employees,' the hotel said.
'We deeply regret this incident and have reached out to Mr. Curry to offer not only our sincere apologies but a full refund of his stay and an invitation to return, at no cost, anytime in the future.'
John Cramm, who has worked as Director of Engineering at The Mining Exchange Hotel in Colorado Springs for just five months, was filmed asking Curry if he was a guest there
According to LinkedIn although Cramm has worked as Head of Engineering at the hotel since August, he was hired in the same role at another hotel before then
Curry uploaded a full video of the exchange when he returned to the room and shared with his followers the name and phone number of the hotel so they could make complaints.
In a caption accompanying the video, Curry said that Cramm approached him without any form of ID and demanded to see his room key.
The Mining Exchange Hotel in Colorado Springs, where Curry was staying and Cramm worked
Curry wrote the phone number of the hotel on a pad and showed it to his followers so they could make a complaint
He also commented on Cramm's role in the hotel, questioning why Cramm told him he was both 'head of security' and 'head of maintenance'.
According to his LinkedIn page, Cramm has worked as Head of Engineering at the hotel since August. Before then he was hired in the same role at another hotel, also in Colorado.
The other employee Curry recorded appeared to be a person of color and laughed off Curry's allegations and said he was 'trying to pull the race card.'
Curry, who was in town to perform a comedy show, responded, 'Yeah, I'm trying to pull the race card, boy,' then turning to his followers, 'So we got an Uncle Tom saying that I'm trying to play the race card but he's hanging with this dude - this is what it's all about people.'
Cramm on the right and the employee Curry branded an 'Uncle Tom' on the left
The employees remained standing in front of Curry, who said he 'felt threatened' by their stance and the way they were looking at him.
Curry eventually stood up and headed toward the restroom, where he was trailed by both men. He later complained to the front desk about the men following him, and again was asked if he was a guest of the hotel. He asked both of the workers at the venue to identify themselves.
Curry said he was uncomfortable in the hotel and planning on checking out immediately
Curry said of the way he was treated, 'When is this gonna stop for Negroes? When is it gonna stop? My God. When is it gonna stop ... a Black man can't go nowhere in America, ain't that some bulls***.'
Curry added: 'Call these motherf***rs and say, "Can a Black man be in your lobby?"'
He said he was planning on checking out of the hotel immediately.
The Oakland, California native captioned the clip: 'Black man [in] 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. And asked to see my hotel key Wyndham racism.'
In response to an Instagram follower, Curry said his ego wasn't hurt 'because this has happened to him before.
'I've been around the world,' he said. 'It's not my ego, it's just that when you face racism, you gotta do something back about it. They think they can walk up to you and say anything they want.
'"Do you belong here?" F*** you, motherf***er. No, I ain't tellin' you s***. It's not my ego. It's that when this happens, dial 719-323-2000, and let 'em know we've got power too. We've got power. They would not do it to a white person.'
English (United States) ·