Page 18 - Florida Sentinel 7-10-18

Memoriam
Crime
Man Faces
National
African American Millionaire Finds Note With Racial Slur In Hotel Room
FRANK DAVIS
IN MEMORIAM
GEORGE TYLER, SR.
“In remembrance of you, Dad.”
Attempted Murder
Charge In Shooting
Police arrested a 26-year- old man recently and charged him with attempted second- degree murder. He is accused shooting at a man as he walked down the street.
Deputies with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office re- sponded to shots being fired in the 5200 block of Main Street. When deputies ar-
QUINTON T. CHEATHAM
rived, they met 40-year-old
Johnny Lowe.
Lowe told police that he
was walking on 52nd Avenue, North when he saw a silver SUV pull up and stop near the railroad tracks. He said he began walking on the east side of the railroad track and a Black man got out of the SUV with a handgun and started firing the gun north towards 54th Avenue, North.
Lowe said he attempted to walk away when the man turned and asked him where he was going, using profanity. Lowe told police the man re- loaded the gun, pointed it at him, and fired 3 rounds in his direction. Lowe fled and was not injured.
Deputies were able to find a SUV fitting the description given by the suspect. The owner was identified as 26- year-old Quinton Cheatham.
Deputies attempted to make contact with Cheatham, but said he was uncooperative and refused to speak to them. They were able to positively identify Cheatham as the suspect in the shooting and obtained an arrest warrant.
DEATH LISTING
AIKENS FUNERAL HOME
Mrs. Ethel Brown, Tampa.
Mrs. Robyn Henderson, Passaic, New Jersey.
HARMON FUNERAL HOME
Joseph Matthew King, Tampa. Debbie Mary Pilcher, Tampa. Michael A. Smith, Tampa. Constance Devora Spinks, Tampa.
RAY WILLIAMS FUNERAL HOME
Mr. Anthony J. Holloway, Wesley Chapel, Florida.
Mr. Willie L. Hopkins, Zephyrhills, Florida. Mrs. Barbara Jackson, Tampa.
Ms. Allie McPherson, Tampa, Florida, Mrs. Hazel Mosley, Tampa.
WILSON FUNERAL HOME
Tori Jhene’ Coley (Infant), Tampa. Mrs. Geraldine Elston, Tampa. Mr. George Lamb, Tampa.
Ms. Gladys R. Levit, Tampa.
Mr. Ydelio Viera, Tampa. Ms. Heather Weaver, Tampa.
An African-American mil- lionaire and his Manhattan consultant son were victims of a July 4th hate crime in their hotel room during a Florida vacation.
A racist creep apparently snuck into Frank and Michael Davis’ room at the upscale Art Ovation Hotel in Sarasota and left a 2-by-5 post-it note reading, “You’re a N—-R.”
After returning to their sixth-floor room from break- fast, the Davises found the sickening message placed on a globe-shaped bedside lamp.
“I was stone cold for 30 to 40 seconds when I read the note,” Michael Davis, 27, a consultant for a financial firm, told The Post.
“My first thought was, what did we do to deserve this? We tipped well, we were beyond nice to all the staff.”
Fearing for their lives, Michael and his parents called the police and the front desk. The Sarasota Police De- partment responded, but no suspects have been named.
The incident was espe- cially wounding in light of Frank Davis’ lifelong ef- forts to promote diversity. The business executive has donated $5 million to his alma mater, Bucknell Univer- sity, for a new building and for minority recruitment.
Frank Davis, 58, co- founded Horizon Group after reaching the upper echelons of Fortune 500 companies. He took a broad view of the incident.
“It is critical that we all be champions for diversity and inclusion every day,” he said.
Management for the hotel, part of the Marriott chain, was far less responsive than the cops, Michael Davis said.
While the hotel refunded all the Marriott points the family had used on their planned six-day visit, it re- fused to move them to a com- parable location. The Davises checked into a hotel two hours away.
“The whole experience has been very awful and sad- dening. Despite our best ef- forts to be friendly, welcoming guests, someone chose to hate us simply for the color of our skin,” said Michael Davis, whose mom is a Cuban-American from New York City.
A Marriott vice president eventually called Michael Davis to apologize. A spokesperson for the hotel chain told The Post it was planning sensitivity training for the Sarasota site, saying, “The matter is being actively investigated and appropriate actions will be taken.”
PAGE 18 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2018