I just left an Airbnb Meetup and I have a story to tell. If you’re not familiar with meetup.com, it is a platform where individuals form groups of people who are interested in the same thing. There are over 100,000 meeetup.com groups around the world. This Airbnb Meetup is just one of them and, for the record, is not officially connected to or sponsored by Airbnb.
I arrived late and had to navigate my way through the crowd to find a spot in the back of corner of the room. I’d guess there were more than 60 people in this standing room only crowd. It was a diverse bunch of post work professionals. I’d say the majority of the folks were majority folks. There was a relatively typical attorney making a standard talk in the front of the room using the AV equipment that we would expect. Since I arrived at the point where some people had enough of this session, I was able to find a seat after a few moments. I sat just in time to get a perfect view of the evening highlight. I felt like I was seated at the net line of a tennis match. I had to be a little like Willow Smith and “whip my hair back and forth.” Really, my hair was in a hat and no whipping happened. But, you get the point. The conversation was heated. An audience member sitting toward the back right was challenging the presenter up front and she didn’t care for his answers. Other folks in the audience challenged her. One person seated in back on the left was so annoyed that she said, “Shut up!” At that point, I clutched my pearls. Oh, the horrors! Apparently, we do this now…and so many other things we need to stop.
I don’t know what I missed that got this whole thing started. However, it was clear that this group of hosts feels under attack by the city and the state. The hostility in the room is a weird reflection or, maybe, it’s amplification of the hostility that we’re getting from the city and state. The feeling and the struggle are real. Since I have about a half dozen summons and violations still waiting for their day in court, I can relate. I know the point where the pain boils over to more and needs to be set free. Since I’ve been on this fight for a while, I’m a little calmer about it. Well – at least most of the time, I’m calm.
Real talk, I’m a little happy that these folks were a little unruly and agitated. They finally realize that they can’t stay under the radar. I’ve been a little salty that more people aren’t willing to get more involved. I understand it, but I’ve been salty anyway. They now realize that they have to stop sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone else to take care of this issue because this issue is literally at their front door. They’re fearful that the next knock at the door or ring of the buzzer could be them trying to get in without a warrant. They know the City is coming after them even if they own a one or two-family home, despite the fact that their legislators told them what they were doing is legal. They’re scared they will have to sell because of the fines and without extra income from somewhere they can’t afford to live here. With all of this outrage, they are more willing to show up, stand up and unite with others to fight for our rights. They know you gotta to fight for your right to…and it’s not to party. (I have a little protest march and Beastie Boys in my head at the same time.)
As I’ve said before, this is a serious matter. Don’t forget, we need to have joy in this journey. Pun intended. I am up for the challenge. I’ll be fighting and celebrating at the same time. As one of my friends says often, “this is not a dress rehearsal.” We are growing an engaged community fighting for our rights. Join us.
Actions for the day:
If you’re a host and want to join the NYC Airbnb Hosts Meetup, you can find them here.
If you’d like to join the fight, join the Home Sharing Association of America mailing list here.