John Salangsang/Shutterstock Mark Curry and Holly Robinson Peete
Holly Robinson Peete sent support to her former sitcom costar Mark Curry after he experienced racial profiling at a hotel in Colorado.
Peete, who starred opposite the actor and comedian in the ’90s sitcom Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper, called the incident unacceptable and “so disrespectful” in a Twitter thread on Saturday. “There was no reason for Mark to be singled out except for the fact that he’s a Black man,” Peete wrote. “I’m so sorry this happened.”
Sending love out to my costar and friend @MARKCURRY… just finding out about this awful profiling harassment he was subjected to in Colorado Springs. I hope the Hotel has apologized to him at least????????♀️????????♀️ UNACCEPTABLE ????
Have a call in Mark to get an update…This is us in June… pic.twitter.com/nSQVx7RWtO— Holly Robinson Peete ????????♍️ (@hollyrpeete) December 11, 2022
Curry documented his experiences at the Mining Exchange A Wyndham Grand Hotel & Spa, located in Colorado Springs, on Instagram Friday. The comedian, who was in town for a comedy tour, was drinking a cup of coffee in the lobby when a man he identified as the head of security approached him and asked if he was a hotel guest.
In the 26-minute video, the man refused to leave his post until he could determine that Curry was a guest. “If you’re Black and you’re in Colorado Springs, you can’t be in the lobby,” Curry said. “Wow! This is crazy, isn’t it?” Another employee standing watch accused Curry of using the “race card” when he questioned the surveillance.
Elsewhere in the video, Curry documented the men following him around the hotel. Later, he approached the front desk to inform a woman that he would like to contact the police since the man who identified as security refused to show any identification and was following him. “I would like to call the police on this guy for following me. I don’t know who he is,” Curry told the woman while streaming the incident live. The woman at the desk told Curry the man was one of their engineers and inquired if the comedian was a guest “for safety.”
“A Black man can’t go nowhere in America,” Curry later said from his hotel room. The comedian said he would be leaving the hotel and incorporating his experiences into his next set. “Black man and a hotel lobby it’s impossible that he has a room here,” he captioned the video. “No, I have a suite! He walks up to me with no badge on. I don’t know who this man is.”
When reached for comment Sunday, a hotel representative said the Mining Exchange is “committed to providing a safe and inclusive space for all guests and employees.” The statement continued, “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.”
The hotel is also “using this opportunity to revisit training with our staff, helping to ensure all interactions are reflective of our company values,” the statement said.
Reps for Curry didn’t immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.
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