Navajo M.
Yelp
Review for Ruby's Inn & Ebenezer's Barn and Grill
I'm deeply saddened and disturbed by what happened to my family during our visit to Bryce Canyon. I feel it's important to share this experience while it's still fresh in my mind, not out of anger, but in the hope that others--especially families of color--are aware and can be cautious.
I was attending a professional conference at Ruby's Inn over three days. The conference encouraged attendees to bring family, and we did. My husband had been taking our young daughter to the hotel pool while I attended sessions. On the last day, inspired by the conference's closing message from Utah Governor Spencer Cox encouraging family connection, I stepped out of Ebenezer's Barn & Grill to meet my husband and daughter.
That's when everything shifted.
My husband had just picked up our daughter from the pool and pulled up to the barn to get me. I saw a man in a large truck begin to follow our vehicle and take photos of our plates. Before I could process what was happening, this man began to stalk us, following us through town and ultimately calling the police. Within minutes, we were surrounded by law enforcement officers, questioned aggressively, and my husband was issued a citation based on this stranger's report. At no point was his erratic behavior--following us, taking photos, or harassing us--addressed.
My husband believes he was racially profiled, and based on how the situation unfolded, I believe it too. The entire experience was frightening and humiliating, especially for our 6-year-old daughter, who witnessed her father being treated like a criminal for simply picking up his wife from a conference.
I sat in that driver seat crying, helpless. As Navajo and Latino individuals, we've been taught to carry documentation everywhere to prove we belong. It's 2025, and somehow we're still explaining our humanity.
The officer told me, "You're in one of the most diverse areas of the county." But diversity doesn't guarantee safety when biases go unchecked and strangers can escalate a situation into a police encounter because they "felt" something.
I now reflect on a similar event years ago--when my husband rushed me to the hospital during labor, and even then, he was ticketed. The pattern is clear. In urgent or ordinary moments, our presence is policed, not protected.
To be clear, I do not know who the man was who reported us. He was not in a uniform. If he was a hotel or staff member, there were no identifying markers. No one gave us any clarity. We were simply told to comply, then dismissed.
This was supposed to be a positive, family-centered week. Instead, we left feeling unsafe and unwanted. I strongly urge Ruby's Inn and associated establishments to reflect on how they engage with guests, especially guests of color. Implement training. Have staff wear visible IDs. Protect families, don't criminalize them.
I will also be writing to the Utah Prevention Conference Association to recommend they provide shuttle services or clear transport guidance for future conferences--especially for BIPOC attendees and their families.
This was my second UPCA conference, and my husband's first time to Bryce.
-- A concerned Navajo mother and professional, traveling with her family