The owners of a hotel in Live Oak, Florida have some explaining to do after their employees’ blatantly racist treatment of a group of black high school students from Flint, Michigan who were on a college tour.
The students had spent the day visiting colleges across North Florida, and were on their way back to Flint when their bus broke down. The group of 90 students and adult chaperones ended up spending the night at an Econo Lodge off Interstate 10 in Live Oak, roughly halfway between Jacksonville and Tallahassee. One of the students, Melissa Blacque, said that she knew something was wrong when the staffers started snapping pictures of everyone coming in and out of the hotel. They also called the students the “N-word” several times.
The man who coordinated the trip, Blake Odum, told WJRT-TV in Flint that he overheard one of the women say, “If I see one more of them, I’m calling the law.” Odum was so concerned that he called the Suwannee County sheriff to report that the hotel staff was being “difficult.” Sheriff’s deputies advised the group to stay in their rooms for the rest of the night. However, one deputy warned Odum that people “weren’t accommodating to you all” in this part of town. The deputy then added, “if you know what I mean.” Odum got the message loud and clear.
While the group made no trouble at all, they claimed the staff antagonized them throughout the night. They were told to check out at 10 a.m. sharp the next day. As they were heading out, Odum said he heard the manager on duty snap, “We’re gonna get these n****rs off our property.” Odum told WJRT that he didn’t want to stay at that hotel in the first place. However, the bus company felt this hotel was the most “cost effective” option. Odum said that he was primarily concerned for the safety of his students, but the bus company “didn’t take that into consideration.”
When Suwannee County sheriff Tony Cameron heard about this, he told WTXL-TV in Tallahassee that it in no way reflects Live Oak or his county as a whole, saying that his county is “united” and “a great place to raise your children.” I wonder if he’s had a chance to talk to the deputies who responded to the hotel. If it’s so “united,” then why are people in that area not too keen in accommodating blacks?
The hotel is taking a well-deserved beating on Facebook, Google, and Yelp. One of the Yelp commenters was staying at the hotel when the group from Michigan was there, and confirmed hearing the racial slurs. According to one commenter on Facebook, a spokeswoman for Choice Hotels International, who owns the Econo Lodge brand, says that company officials are aware of the incident and are working to get to the bottom of it. In a colossal understatement, the Choice Hotels spokeswoman says what happened in Live Oak is “completely unacceptable.” There is only one acceptable response to this–this hotel’s franchise agreement should be put in the shredder. Simply put, there is no way any hotel can treat anyone this way and be allowed to stay in business.
Odum isn’t taking this lying down. He said he’s planning on taking legal action, and has also alerted Choice Hotels. If I were Odum, the only way I would even consider not suing this hotel’s owners into poverty is if Choice Hotels forces it to close for good.
