An incident at a Texas hotel left a delivery driver believing she was being discriminated against. Here’s what happened and why she’s so disturbed by the series of events.
TikTok creator Dwalisa (@dwalisamichele), a delivery driver was delivering an age-restricted alcohol order and was rudely received by a woman claiming to be a hotel employee.
“I was out delivering orders, and one of my last orders was to WoodSpring Suites in Cedar Park, Texas,” Dwalisa said. “As you can see, this lobby is completely empty. There wasn’t one hotel personnel in sight.”
Dwalisa goes on to note that there was “an older Caucasian woman in a hoodie, whose eyes were so big you thought that I was coming to rob her.”
Dwalisa noted the woman’s unusual behavior. She said, “So I knocked on the door where this lady huffed and puffed and then turned around, walked out of the elevator, and came to the door and cracked it and said, ‘What do you want?'”
She said she took a pause to gather herself, but that she believed the woman “did not like dealing with my kind,” meaning dealing with Black people. Dwalisa showed the woman that she was a delivery driver with an order.
“I smiled and said, ‘Ma’am, I am with the delivery service … And it was alcohol, so I couldn’t just leave it,'” she said. “She then rolled her eyes at me, pushed the door open, huffed and puffed as she looked outside my head, and said that she is doing me a favor by letting me upstairs.”
Dwalisa, feeling it was more trouble than it was worth, said she would inform the customer and wait for them to come down. “That lady said, ‘Would you come on? Just get on the elevator.’ Unsurprisingly, Dwalisa, not appreciating the condescending tone, left the building. “Who are you talking to like that?” she asked.
When Dwalisa tried to report the incident, she was stiffed by the hotel. She said she was told there was no available manager on Monday. Then came promises of a call back that didn’t materialize. Despite being told the general manager would “expedite” a response, she still hasn’t heard back.
The ordeal illustrates the potential of racial profiling and discriminatory treatment that delivery workers, particularly workers of color, routinely face.
In Dwalisa’s first video, many of the commenters were not at all surprised. “All I needed to see was Cedar Park, Texas. Enough said, babes, enough said,” one woman said.
A second person wrote, “Racism is so exhausting. You’re just trying to do a service and have to be treated like that. Sorry that happened to you.”
Someone else just said, straight out: “I hate Cedar Park.”
Williamson County has long been the place people or families go for cheaper housing and better schools. It’s also maintained something of a “tough on crime” reputation, which has made some residents feel safer than in Austin. Texas’ capital city, frankly, isn’t known for crime as it stands. The county, though, has long maintained a reputation for racial prejudice.
A comparative analysis of the 2022 Racial Profiling Report for the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Black and Hispanic people came into contact with police at a higher rate than other demographics. The report called the findings “interesting,” while noting the opposite was true for white, Asian, and American Indian households.
Long-time resident Doris McGehee, who moved back to Texas in 1970, told the local station KVUE in 2021, “Williamson County is racist. It is still very racist. When you have people in power that say racism does not exist in Williamson County, they’re just flapping their lips.”
This is the history that precedes the events in Dwalisa’s clip.
All Hip Hop reached out to Choice Hotels and @dwalisamichele for additional information.
@dwalisamichele Woodspring Suites in Cedar Park, Tx customer service from that one specific employee was horrible. If I had to base a stay on that interaction, I wouldn't stay at this location. Ever. The customer was very apologetic and said it was crazy highlighting they're paying less than $100 a night for their stay. I've worked in hospitality off and on for 10+ years. Not once have I ever spoken to, or handled a person in the manner that I was handled. Horrible. #woodspringsuites #hotelcomplaint #cedarpark #leander #deliverydriver ♬ original sound – Dwalisa
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