A woman says she was profiled for “swimming while black” when a man asked her and her 5-year-old daughter if they had bathed before getting into a hotel pool because “people carry diseases.”
It happened when Carle Wheeler was staying at the Pasadena Westin Hotel, where she was vacationing, according to ABC7 in Los Angeles. Wheeler says the man claimed to work for the health department and was concerned the pool would have to be shut down.
But she noticed he only asked them even though there were others in the pool area. Wheeler began to argue with the man and there were others that came to her defense and notified hotel staff about the man harassing her.
Wheeler says she’s upset with the hotel because they let the man leave without finding out who he was and adds that she’s “heartbroken for her daughter to experience something like this.”
Hotel officials released a statement saying they “do not condone comments or behavior directed to our pool guests.” They also said the safety and security of their guests is their top priority.
TSR STAFF: Christina C! @cdelafresh
