A few weeks ago, we wrote about Gregory Selden. He said he was turned down by a racist AirBnB host in Philadelphia. Selden, who is black, claimed to run a test, successfully applying for the room with two “white” profiles.
The host allegedly had this to say when confronted: “It’s a disappointment people like you always victimize yourselves solely on the basis of skin color.”
Now Selden is suing over the alleged March 2015 incident, filing a federal class-action on Tuesday.
#AirbnbWhileBlack made a fake profile as a white guy and was accepted immediately. pic.twitter.com/miUWG3OvQV
— G. Sel (@_GSelden) May 4, 2016
Selden’s lawsuit, obtained by Mashable, said AirBnB was slow to address the racism. He asks for damages and injunctive relief.
An AirBnB spokesperson previously said Selden’s housing problems was due to a discrepancy: He signed up for one night in his real account, then for two nights with his fake accounts. That, the spokesman said, would explain why his tests had different results. Selden later reached out to BuzzFeed, and said he didn’t make any mistakes.
In a statement sent to LawNewz.com, AirBnB insists the alleged incident has nothing to do with their brand or M.O.
“While we do not comment on pending litigation, we strongly believe that racial discrimination is unacceptable and it flies in the face of our mission to bring people together,” a spokesman said. “We prohibit content that promotes discrimination, bigotry, racism, hatred, harassment or harm against any individual or group and we are taking aggressive action to fight discrimination and eliminate unconscious bias in our community.”
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