An enormous tornado tore through Merrillville, Indiana, this past week. The tornado fiercely destroyed many homes and apartments, leaving families with debris to clean up. One Indiana resident says she was unable to check into a hotel after her apartment was damaged by the tornado, prompting a friend to share the experience online.
Cece (@ceceshante) says that “it’s horrible what these hotels in Merrillville are going to the tornado victims.” Cece personally came out to help her friend after her apartment was destroyed by the tornado. She helped her friend get a room and bring some of her belongings to the Baymont Inn & Suites in Merrillville. When they approached the door to enter, according to Cece, a person she identified as the hotel’s owner told them they would not be allowed to stay and offered a refund. The reason why? They accused her of “hoarding” for bringing all her belongings.
As Cece said, many people in the area were booking hotels after the disaster. As a result, there were no other hotels her friend could stay at in the area. Cece questioned the hotel’s explanation and suggested she believed there may have been other factors behind the decision. However, the video does not include any evidence explaining why the reservation was denied, other than the reason allegedly provided by the hotel employee. She said another person was able to book a room there with a cart full of clothing and nobody turned them away.
Cece said she’s going to “deal with” the situation by speaking with Baymont’s corporate manager about her friend being turned away. Cece said there’s no reason why her friend couldn’t stay there when the room was already paid for. As she says to her audience, “It’s horrible the way people treat you in today’s time. And my heart just breaks because I can’t even help a friend.”
Commenters reacted to Cece’s video, immediately showing her support. The video sparked a conversation about how people tend to treat others during emergencies like this one, as well as race-related discourse. One commenter mentioned, “We need more black owned hotels. You want to see change or make them mad? Hurt their pockets! This should have never happened.” Another commenter stated, “And sleeping in a car is a crime. Make it make sense.”
Other commenters suggested that she should “go to the news” with her story about what happened at this hotel. Commenters also suggested she “call the police” because of the hotel turning people away during a disaster. They continue to share personal stories and opinions about what Cece can do.
