Man removed from Airbnb for racist, hate-filled messages to black client

An Airbnb horror story ended Wednesday with the App officially removing a user from its service...

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An Airbnb horror story ended Wednesday with the app officially removing a user from its service.

A user identified as “Todd Warner” reportedly canceled a potential client because the person was black. Shani Taylor shared the hateful, racist messages from Warner on Twitter:

The story quickly went viral, and Airbnb was forced to respond. A website spokesman provided a statement to the New York Daily News:

We were horrified when we read these messages. The language and conduct are unacceptable and violate both our policies and everything we believe in. This host has been removed from Airbnb and we’ve reached out to the guest to offer our full and complete support, including ensuring the guest has a safe place to stay.

The person on the other end of Warner’s racist remarks gave an interview at Over-Educated.com, but asked to remain anonymous:

What was your first reaction when you read Todd Warner’s comments to you on AirBnB? I thought it was a joke at first, a sick one at that. So I had to read through it a couple of times. Then I just cried. I guess I was overwhelmed with the thought of what could have happened if I moved in without him finding out I was black? Would he have assaulted me physically or verbally etc? I just didn’t feel safe anymore.

[…]

What do you hope AirBnB and other companies will do and learn from this situation? Screen more! Screen the hosts, screen the language that passes through the platform. Screen screen screen. The repercussions of the actions of such ill minded individuals is a huge detriment to these companies. They need to play their role not just in business but also in society and help protect users of their platform. Today it’s a “minor” case of racism, tomorrow it could be a serious case of pre-mediated murder or assault!

Additional screenshots of Warner’s messages:

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