Travelodge on Valencia allegedly refuses credit card of the legendary guitarist for the Meters… because he’s black

Well this is fucking unacceptable. Leo Nocentelli, guitarist for New Orleans funk pioneers the Meters, was allegedly subjected to some racist bullshit here in San Francisco last night:

I guess something could be said about a musician of Leo’s stature being put up in that notoriously sketch Travelodge (and having to pay for it himself) but still.

Some mixed reports of Travelodge’s feeble attempts at damage control are already coming in on the thread:

There is an early post on this line from Deejay Platurnipus that say’s “Just called. (Last night) They said Ginger isn’t working tonight. Lying i assume? “Manager” on hand said she’ll be there tomorrow, which I assume is also bullshit….” 
That contradicts the TraveLodge spokesperson that says not worked there in 6 months….

To be clear, it looks like Ginger isn’t the staffer that did this (being a female when the report specifies a male), but the New Parish is encouraging folks direct all complaints to her as the branch manager.

The New Parish just weighed in with this update:

…we prepaid for the rooms and when artists arrived for check in, they demanded cash deposits from 3 of 4 band members. I called police and they forced the manager to give me contact name – “Ginger Latu” was the name on the card he gave me. Incredible.

More details as we find out.

Leo Nocentelli is gearing up to play two dates at Brick and Mortar tonight and tomorrow night.

[via the New Parish]

10 Responses to “Travelodge on Valencia allegedly refuses credit card of the legendary guitarist for the Meters… because he’s black”

  1. anadromy says:

    If this were a just world, Leo would be enjoying the best suite at the Palace or Saint Francis instead of suffering these indignities at the hands of petty bigots. The man wrote Cissy Strut for crying out loud!!

    • blah says:

      You are correct.

    • 13thWarden says:

      Woah Ana have you heard Leo play in the last 10+ years? No wonder the other guys had a bad time with him. The shredding is terrible, hurts to listen to, but he’s a legend so he keeps playing and people keep paying. The “original” Meters only get together because people pay them so much– Art and George and Ziggy say it with body language: they’re just geting paid.

      Still, the event is terrible and Travelodge’s owners seem to be getting the public flogging they deserve. I’m just saying… Leo’s guitar… what I hear about the guy… it’s OK not to be a legend’s fan.

  2. MrEricSir says:

    They should have gone elsewhere, that place is seriously sketchy.

  3. We suspect that we do not have sufficient information about the subject that you wish to discuss.

    • Curious says:

      Hmmm.

      The tweet has mysteriously disappeared from their feed…odd that they wouldn’t stand behind it.

  4. buzzgirl says:

    Racist bullshit, you say? In San Francisco? The hell you say! I’m more shocked by the fact that they put it out there up front, instead of the insidious way it usually rears its head here in the City.

    If you’re from out of town, it’s really hard to gauge the quality of a place before booking it. TraveLodge, while by no means luxe, is a national chain, and I would have felt comfortable booking it from afar.

    While phone calls/emails might be an annoyance for the motel, it would be more effective for the injured party to file a complaint online with the Human Rights Commission (http://www.sf-hrc.org/index.aspx?page=85#What is public accommodation discrimination?).

  5. lalo says:

    found a bed bug walking on the sheet once … I called the lobby and the guy said it was not a bed bug …. it was kind of funny … but still disgusting ..

    I found the bug in the morning too… after… sleeping in the bed haha

    I love San francisco

  6. damian says:

    may everyone be reminded..that the (alledgedly)guilty staffer was..FILIPINO!!! and not white..living proof(contrary to what many;many bay area residents think)that racism is not(and never was)the domain solely of whites;and whites only..an ANYONE who jams with DR.JOHN..gots to be one of the coolest “cats” on the scene.anyone not a DR.JOHN fan..feel so-o-o- sorry for you..(sniff;sob)ok..back to life at hand

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