LIVE OAK, Fla. — A group of students said staff at a Florida hotel used racist words to force them out while finishing up a tour of a college.
They contend the workers called them the N-word and other obscenities. Action News reached out to the sheriff about the racism concerns. He said he personally interviewed each deputy who responded to the Econo Lodge. He said they don't know everything that happened but did say racism has no place in this town.
They're words the Flint, Michigan group didn't expect to hear.
"We're going to get these n*****s off our property," coordinator Blake Odum recalled.
A group of 90 adults and teens was wrapping up a college bus tour through the south when the bus broke down.
They were forced to stay at the Econo Lodge in Live Oak while the bus company figured something out.
According to the incident report, Odum called 911 about a disturbance. He claimed the manager and her husband were following the kids around, saying they wanted them gone and that the group kept waking up their cats.
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Some students claim they were called the N-word.
We tried speaking to the manager but didn't get past the assistant.
Action News: "Do you know why we're here?"
Assistant: "I'm sure I know why."
Action News: "OK, is there anything you can comment on?"
Assistant: "I'm going to say no comment at this time."
Locals had mixed reaction about the allegations.
Joey White: "Wouldn't surprise me."
Action News: "Why is that?"
Joey White: "Little country town."
“Even with everything going on around the country now, haven’t seen any evidence of that here,” said Lewis Wilson.
Sheriff Tony Cameron said if true, it makes Live Oak look bad.
"I don't think they should be mistreated and if they were mistreated, I hate it for them. I hate I'm here answering anything about our community," Cameron said.
The group from Michigan plans to take legal action, but that wouldn't erase its experience. When asked if there was a race problem, Sheriff Cameron said, "Everyone … they work together, they play together, they live together, they pray together and it's just a well-rounded community."
Econo Lodge is taking a beating online. Several people are speaking out, including a guest who claimed to be at the hotel the same night the students were. In a comment on Yelp, they confirmed hearing the racial slurs firsthand.
Choice Hotels, which oversees Econo Lodge, has issued an apology to the Michigan group. They asked for the incident report and promise to thoroughly investigate.
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