A Black man who tried to use the bathroom in the lobby of a Thornton hotel in the middle of the night two years ago alleges in a newly filed lawsuit that a front desk clerk called him a racist slur and needlessly summoned police.
Freddie Davis alleges in the federal civil rights lawsuit filed Monday in Denver that the white front desk clerk at the on 120th Avenue called him a racist slur used against Black people, then called Thornton police and falsely claimed Davis was being “aggressive.”
Police cited the front desk clerk for disorderly conduct, according to the lawsuit, which also alleged that the clerk kept her job and Davis was kicked out of the hotel again a few days later when he returned to file a formal complaint.
The Feb. 25, 2023, incident happened at about 3 a.m., when Davis was charging his Tesla at a gas station across from the hotel. He walked into the hotel lobby hoping to use the hotel’s bathroom since the gas station was closed, according to the lawsuit.
Davis was listening to music on headphones as he walked in and headed to the bathroom. The bathroom was closed for cleaning, however, so he turned to leave. As he did so, he realized the front desk clerk was yelling at him, he alleged in the lawsuit. She called him a racist slur multiple times and said he was not listening to her, he alleges.
He then left and returned to his car, and, shortly afterward, several Thornton police vehicles pulled up. Davis talked with officers, who cited the clerk for disorderly conduct after she admitted to using the racist slur, the lawsuit says.
After the incident, Davis tried to file a complaint with the hotel chain, according to the lawsuit. A corporate representative directed him to go to the hotel to pick up a paper form, but when he did so, a supervisor at the Thornton hotel refused to give him the form, then called police and said Davis was trespassing. Officers walked Davis out of the lobby, the lawsuit alleges.
Representatives for the hotel did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.
The lawsuit alleges the company failed to address the racism across the two incidents, and did not adequately train its employees.
Updated 2:37 p.m. Feb. 26, 2025: This story was corrected to reflect that only the hotel clerk was cited for disorderly conduct.
