By Tyrone Reid, Staff ReporterDEWIGHT PETERS, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the model agency Saint International Limited, is accusing the security personnel at the Hilton New Kingston Hotel of being racially biased.
Peters is also the man behind the Saint International-produced 'CVM Faces of Summer' and was one of the persons behind the recently-concluded 'Fashionface of the Caribbean 2001'.
According to Mr. Peters, on Friday, November 15, he and two associates, one, his assistant Sheree Morris-Gregory and the other a male model from his company, were asked to leave the hotel because they were black and were thought to fit the stereotype of thieves, drug dealers or pimps.
A representative of the New Kingston hotel denied Peters accusations.
In a letter sent to The Gleaner, the Saint CEO said he and his friends went to the hotel for a drink when the incident occurred. Upon reaching the bar, they realised it was overcrowded. Determined to get drinks, they said that they decided to take a walk with the intention of returning after the crowd subsided. Before leaving, the three stopped to have a conversation with two of Saint International's commercial models who had entered the venue.
During the conversation, it is alleged that a member of the Marksman security team, which is responsible for security of the hotel, came up to them and told them that they were blocking the entrance and had to move. Mr. Peters and company claimed that they moved away from the entrance, but that the security guard returned and told them that the place they had moved to was also out of bounds. They left the premises but later returned to have the drinks.
However, it is alleged by Peters and Ms. Morris-Gregory that things got sour when they returned to the hotel to get the drinks. They said the security guard at the entrance of the lobby ordered them to leave.
Both Mr. Peters and Ms. Morris-Gregory said that the treatment they received from the security personnel was racially charged.
"At first I thought it was about what had happened earlier, but then I realised that there were other persons who were asked to leave and not enter the lobby except for those Caucausian-looking people, who went in without a problem. So obviously they were seen as guests right away and to me that's racism because if we were white we would have been seen as guests automatically," fumed Ms. Morris-Gregory.
In the letter, Peters says they insisted on not leaving and passed the security and went into the lobby. He said after speaking to the duty manager they were referred to one of the top security officials.
Mr. Peters says he approached the security official, a Caucasian male, quite cordially, but the man started to shout and ordered him to leave. On the other hand, the representative from the Hilton Hotel said that these accusations are totally ludicrous.
The representative alleges that Mr. Peters was causing a disturbance at the front desk, because he was speaking very loudly in the lobby.
Contrary to Mr. Peters' statement about approaching the security personnel, the hotel representative said that it was the other way around.
The high ranked security official, he said, walked over to Mr. Peters and inquired what was the problem. The representative also alleged that Mr. Peters had been shouting at the top of his voice. "I don't know why he was raising his voice in the first place, he never got the chance to explain it to me. I asked him to leave because he was raising in voice in the lobby and causing a disturbance in the hotel," the representative said. These are allegations Mr. Peters flatly denies.
The hotel representative argued that their cry of racism cannot be substantiated as a Caucasian male and a black male were barred from the premises earlier. The reason being; "A week before, their conduct was very unbecoming of a Friday night, which is a family night, with two males holding hands. We don't condone it, I am sorry."
In addition, the hotel's representative stated: "On a Friday night, we get quite a lot of undesirables and because of the situation coming up to Christmas we are clamping down and we don't want any incidents at the hotel. Security has been increased for the safety of the patrons who visit the hotel and the guests and for the sake of the reputation of Jamaica and the Hilton."
It was also revealed by the representative that J-FLAG (the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays) called the Hilton Hotel to inquire about both situations, specifically that of Mr. Peters.
Mr. Peters says he requires some sort of compensation. "Listen, we want an apology from the Hilton, a public apology because that display was outrageous," Mr. Peters adamantly stated.
The hotel, however, says at the end of the day the incident was not racially motivated, and Mr. Peters is just causing 'a stink for no reason at all'.
