Hotel happily welcomed youth cheer squad -- until Black cheerleaders entered the lobby: lawsuit

A youth cheerleading group is alleging racial discrimination against a hotel that they allege tried to kick them out once they saw that Black girls were on their squad.

The West Virginia Record reports that Christopher Clemons and K. Cross, who are parents of one of the cheerleaders on the squad, filed a lawsuit against the general manager of the Holiday Inn and Suites Charleston West for alleged discrimination against the cheerleaders of color.

The complaint alleges that the Holiday Inn bills itself as a welcoming place for local youth sports and athletic teams to stay after tournaments.

The squad booked five rooms for the children at the hotel, where they planned to celebrate finishing in first place at a local competition.

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According to the complaint, the hotel staff were friendly and accommodating when the young white cheerleaders entered the lobby -- but things changed drastically when they saw there would be Black cheerleaders staying as well.

"The African-American children began to arrive with their families and entered the hotel lobby and only then did defendant [General manager] Hope Carroll stop the children and adults in the lobby and stated, ‘This is going to end badly,'" the complaint states.

Carroll then allegedly tried to "shoo" the girls out of the hotel and told them they had broken rules. When the parents present asked what rules had been broken, Carroll would not answer.

"Immediately, the young children began crying out of fear and confusion,” the complaint alleges.

The plaintiffs in the case are seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interests, court costs, attorney fees and other relief.