DC residents rallied together to convince Airbnb hosts to cancel reservations after Capitol riots

How do you prevent Airbnb hosts from renting out their properties to insurrectionists?

That was the question faced by residents in Washington DC after they realised that people in the community hosted rioters who took part in the storming of the Capitol building.

In a report by the Intelligencer, one man had an unpleasant surprise when he realised one of his guests was involved with the riots.

Paul (who declined to share his full name for safety reasons) shared how he had a reservation with a woman named Melissa who claimed to be visiting Washington DC for a “history sight seeing trip”.

But Paul, who describes himself as a “die-hard Democrat and a supporter of American democracy generally”, realised something was wrong when seven other people showed up at his door, and then headed in the direction of the Capitol with a MAGA flag in tow.

In the aftermath of the riots, residents reported being terrorised by Trump supporters. One person said they had a heated confrontation with a group of rioters, while another reported that their truck was vandalised with a Trump sticker.

In response, DC residents rallied together to pressure Airbnb users to not host any reservations during Biden’s inauguration. Others also attempted to convince hosts directly to stop any reservations, speaking to residents who collectively had more than 3,000 listings.

Residents also campaigned for Airbnb itself to suspend all reservations during that time, using the hashtag #DontRentDC.

In the end, their efforts were successful: Airbnb cancelled all reservations in DC during inauguration week.