Airbnb reviewing bookings in Michigan Capitol
Airbnb is doing their part to weed out possible troublemakers
On alert for potential agitators, Airbnb says it will review reservations in Lansing ahead of expected demonstrations at Michigan’s Capitol. The company may cancel bookings by anyone determined to be part of a hate group or anyone who may have come to the city with violent intentions.
The move comes as state government leaders across the U.S. brace for potential protests ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday, and after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6.
While city officials have spent the past week preparing for possible unrest, Airbnb is doing their part to weed out possible troublemakers by examining the reservations.
Read More: Airbnb to block, cancel DC bookings ahead of inauguration
“Many of our community are terrified as of right now, so we are doing everything we can to ease their tension and how we do that is prepare,” Lansing Police Department Chief Daryl Green said.
The enhanced security measures include a heavy police presence, new fencing encircling the Capitol building and an active National Guard presence, News 8 reports.
“We’re hoping for a peaceful protest … but we’re preparing for the worst,” Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said during an appearance on CNN.
“In light of expected demonstrations at the Capitol building this Sunday, I urge everyone to avoid coming to the Capitol and surrounding area,” Schor wrote on Twitter Saturday.
Early protestors have already started gathering, and on Sunday a small group of men carrying AR-15 rifles joined other demonstrators at the Capitol as dozens of Michigan State Police troopers and National Guard members looked on.
Among the protesters, Timothy Teagan, 22, of Plymouth, identified himself as a “boogaloo boy.” When explaining the group’s presence on Sunday, Teagan, who was carrying an AR-15 rifle, said the group has had a “unity” event scheduled for Sunday for more than a month.
Read More: Alleged member of right-wing group Boogaloo Bois charged with rioting during Minneapolis protest
The boogaloo movement, whose members are often referred to as boogaloo boys is a loosely organized far-right, anti-government movement in the United States. The movement has also been described as a militia. Boogaloo adherents say they seek to incite a second American Civil War, which they call the boogaloo.
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