A Florida resort helped America’s first black billionaire set a new world record when they assisted him with becoming the first black person to ask for the police to be called on himself after the luxury hotel denied him entry because he was black wearing sunglasses.
On Aug. 24, in an attempt to stop the nationwide epidemic of fraudsters making reservations in their name and then showing up with matching credit cards and identification, Eau Palm Beach hotel in West Palm Beach, Fla., told BET founder Robert Johnson that they couldn’t allow him to check into the hotel until he removed his prescription sunglasses, according to WPBF, who spoke with a man they claim was Johnson. (Although it is unclear if they verified his identity by asking him to remove his Ray-Bans.)
The Black Entertainment Television founder said he gave the woman his driver’s license, passport and American Express card, but the woman at the desk insisted that he remove his corrective lenses before she could check him in, claiming it was hotel policy. (The Root reached out to Johnson for comment. We’ll update if he responses.)
“She said, ‘well, I can’t check you in if you don’t take off your glasses,’” Johnson’s shades-wearing doppelganger said, explaining that he thought the clerk was kidding at first, so he asked that she call the police.
She called the police.
Records show that the police actually showed up, WPBF reports, but we could not verify whether the man was impersonating an officer, as he was wearing sunglasses. The two parties could not reach a compromise, so the man whose ID, credit card, license plate and passport said was Bob Johnson left.
“I think it’s a silly rule and I think it has overtones of racial profiling,” Johnson said.
See More: Source: The Root
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