On Saturday evening, five friends — all of them black men — were visiting New York City, where they had rented an Air BnB on Manhattan’s tony Upper East Side. But when they arrived at the Air BnB, they were in for a shock. The men say their host, a young woman named Kate, harassed them again and again before finally kicking them out of the house at 2AM. Video taken by one of the men shows Kate calling the men “monkeys” and insisting they leave her home. The men say that Kate also called them “criminals” and said they didn’t feel safe with them in the house.
You can see the video of Kate kicking the men out of the house here, or above. At one point, Kate argues that there isn’t space for five men to stay in the Air BnB. One of the men replies that the listing advertised space for four plus a couch; that means there’s space to sleep five, they reason.
Kate replies, “Which one of you monkeys is going to sleep in the couch?”
Here’s what you need to know:
The Men Say They Are All Educated Professionals Who Did Nothing to Make Kate Feel Unsafe. They Say She Started Harassing Them as Soon as They Arrived
Meschach Cisero was one of the men who rented the Air BnB on Saturday night. Cisero is a chef and co-owner of The Caged Bird, an upscale restaurant in Washington DC’s Dupont Circle. Cisero posted video of their interaction with the Air BnB host and also put up a video of himself explaining what had happened to himself and his friends.
Cisero said that he and his friends had traveled to New York City from various locations around the city for what they hoped would be a fun reunion in the city. The friends were planning to stay at an Air BnB on the Upper East Side. But, they say, as soon as they arrived their host started to “harass” them. He says Kate accused them of being “criminals” and said she didn’t feel safe in the house while they were there. He also says she burst into their space and disregarded their privacy while they were showering and packing to leave.
The men, who were turned out on to the streets at 2AM, called the NYPD to tell their story.
One of Cisero’s friends also took to Twitter to post about the men’s treatment. You can see the Twitter thread here:
The Men Booked the Air BnB for the Weekend but Were Kicked Out on Saturday at 2AM
Meschach Cisero posted a screenshot of the friends’ Air BnB booking; you can see that above. The photo shows that they had reserved the Air BnB for the weekend from a host named Kate. That same host was caught on video telling the men to leave her home and calling them “monkeys.” Their booking is described as a “private room in house.”