By Louis Chan
AsAmNews National Correspondent
Airbnb has confirmed to AsAmNews that it has removed a host from its short term rental program after she was accused of abruptly canceling the reservation of an Asian American because of her race.
Dyne Suh, a law clerk at the Riverside County Public Defenders office in Southern California and a student in the critical race studies program at UCLA Law, said she was 15 minutes away from her rental in the San Bernardino Mountains when her reservation was suddenly canceled.
The cancellation came via a text.
“I wouldn’t rent to you if you were the last person on earth,” Suh told AsAmNews the host said. “Then she said the completely unnecessary statement “One word says it all. Asian.”
Stunned, Suh pulled over to the side of the road where a journalist covering the snowstorm for KTLA interviewed her about her experience. Nothing happened with the video until this week when Steve Kuzj posted his video on social media.
AsAmNews contacted Kuzj who helped put us in touch with Suh.
The post has gone viral. This morning it had 2 million views, 42,000 shares and 11,000 comments.
Many reacted to the video initially with sympathy. But others expressed doubts about the validity of the video and wondered if Suh, who was not identified, was an actress.
This reporter too was skeptical because the video was shot in a heavy snow storm and the area hasn’t seen such a heavy snowstorm in at least six weeks.
The video did not give a time frame of when the incident happened, President’s Day Weekend.
Suh said she was hurt by some of the doubters.
“I’m very thankful for the outpouring of love and support and solidarity,” said Suh. “I am disappointed in people who trivialize my experience or deny that it actually happened. It shouldn’t be a surprise – this kind of stuff happens every day to people of color, but not everyone is lucky enough to happen to park next to a news truck when it happens and have evidence like screenshots to prove it happened, and racism isn’t so explicit most of the time, usually more subtle.”
As painful as it was, Suh was nice enough to run through the whole incident again with AsAmNews.
She had rented the cabin back in January for $250 for her, her fiance and two friends. A couple of weeks later she said the host agreed to allow two additional people plus Suh’s puppies for an additional $50 bucks.
In heavy snow, Suh’s party drove up the San Bernardino Mountains on President’s Day weekend. She texted the host 15 minutes before her arrival to let her know they were almost there.
“That’s when **** hit the fan,” said Suh. “She was incredulous about the number of people. She denied ever agreeing to the extra two people, when I had text messages from her weeks ago saying that the two people were okay.
“I politely reminded her of these texts and sent her screencaps, but she continued to deny it, saying I must be “insanely high” and “whatever” that I am asking too much, that I’m a “con artist”. I said that no, she is the one who misled me by advertising on Airbnb that there was a hot tub, that pets were considered (and approved them), and that adding two people would be okay for $25 more each. I told her I will report to Airbnb that her advertisement is misleading. Then she said, “Go ahead. I wouldn’t rent to you u if u were the last person on earth.” Then she said the completely unnecessary statement “One word says it all. Asian.”
The insults didn’t stop there. Several other texts say a lot about the now former Airbnb host.
“My heart sank and my limbs went numb. … I thought: Not again (being discriminated because of my race) … Not now … Not when being discriminated against for my race has serious consequences like getting me and my friends and dogs stuck in the middle of a snowstorm on a mountain with nowhere to go … it was physically painful. My heart hurt. My hands started shaking. My eyes started watering. All I could say was “I will report to airbnb that you are racist.” I started to cry.”
AsAmNews contacted Airbnb about the incident and it told us “this behavior is abhorrent and unacceptable. We have worked to provide the guest with our full support and in line with our non-discrimination policy, this host has been permanently removed from the Airbnb platform.”
Suh thanked AsAmNews for covering her story and about the “important work we do for all Asian Americans.”
She says what happened to her is “just the tip of the iceberg.”
“It was just a reminder of how racism has emboldened since Trump’s election. I was heartbroken, disappointed, hurt. She didn’t see me as a person – she saw me as a racial stereotype that she has in her biased mind. I was shaking and ugly crying, mascara everywhere. When we managed to find one vacancy in a hotel that night, I didn’t go inside where my White friends went inside to check us in because I didn’t want all of us to get turned away by another potential racist. I stood in the snow with my shoes getting soaked in the snow while my friends checked us in because that experience made me afraid to go inside and face another potential racist in Running Springs.”
Airbnb has issued Suh a full refund to cover the first night and the stay at a hotel. She requested that AsAmNews not publish the name of the host, but described her as an ESL professor at a local college.
“You would think that a teacher who works with racially diverse and foreign students would of all people be one who is compassionate and not racist. But that was a scary revelation. My friends think she should be fired and the college should not tolerate racists in classrooms. I’m Catholic and I believe in repentance. My hope is that she learns to love and not hate, even if she just holds the hate in her heart and doesn’t usually say such racist things, I hope she learns to love instead.
“There is absolutely nothing I want from sharing my story other than the hope that maybe bringing evidence of race discrimination to light would help more people see that racism exists and hurts people every day in many different ways, and the hope that maybe seeing it and seeing the effects of it – my tears – would bring compassion out of people and encourage more people to speak out and stand against racism. The amount of attention the story is receiving is actually quite terrifying to me because I never wanted to be so in the public eye. That was my biggest hesitation and why I didn’t contact Steve to ask him about the video … I didn’t want the attention on me, I still don’t want the attention on me. I hope people don’t remember my name but do remember my story and that more people who have been victims of racial discrimination come forward. I’m trying to avoid looking at comments because it does hurt when people trivialize my experience or even go so far as to deny that it even happened, but I really want to thank everyone who has expressed solidarity, compassion, empathy, support, and love. I hope love and healing and thirst for justice, not belittling or denial, soon becomes the predominant response to when people are victims of racial discrimination.”
AsAmNews is an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. You can show your support by liking our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/asamnews, following us on Twitter, sharing our stories, interning or joining our staff.
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: Great article and teamwork by the AsAm News team! Thank you for the research and great journalism. Our community appreciates all of your efforts at clarifying this issue.
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: This place has been foreclosed supposedly from November 2011.http://www.housesforsalelists.com/property/california-running-springs-92382-31635-wagon-wheel-dr/
Who is/was running the AirBNB?
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: But you ARE a Gobo buffet. And Asian
Why couldn’t you have told the host upfront & clear that you are a party of six and you are willing to pay $300?
Because you knew she’d rejected you then? Did you honestly expect people to accept you as is just because you’re already there?
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: In reply to Another Asian: She was up front about it. She was preapproved. Read the article.
RE: Host Dumped by Airbnb after Racist Incident Leaves Asian Americans in tears: I read the follow-up article and she was NOT upfront about it. The listing said 2 person room for $250, she only asked if she can bring two more friends for extra $25 per person. The host agreed to 4 people staying. She then showed up with 6 people thinking it is okay to pay $25 per person for extra four. The host is correct about her being cheap and Asian. YES she IS A BOGO BUFFET.
RE: Host Dumped by Airbnb after Racist Incident Leaves Asian American in Tears (Reply to Another Asian): I don’t get it because probably you have no math skills at all maybe racist and stereotypes should just die it would make the world a bit better with the culling of racist people and stereotypical people that would really reduce the population
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears (in reply to Another Asian): Hi there,
just curious, where does it say she brought 6 people?
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: As the Executive Director of the Big Bear Chamber of Commerce, I have apologized to Ms Suh for the racial attack she suffered and for the appalling behavior of the so-called “host”.
I extend this apology to the entire community.
This behavior is NOT indicative of Big Bear. We are a warm and friendly community, full of great activities, thousands of lodging options and with really good people. I hope one day, Dyne Suh will contact us to help her find a suitable lodging option and give our true community a chance.
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after Racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: What a short-sighted and stupid AirBnB host. I stayed at an AirBNB for the first time ever in Pasadena last year with my family, including my father (third-generation Japanese from Hawaii), mother (first-generation Korean), my wife (second-generation Filipino) and my mixed son. We shared the unit with several students from the Peoples’ Republic of China and had some great, lively and informative conversation. Diversity of customers is great for the customer experience.
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: Do you guys really think this person cancelled bc of the guest’s race? Jesus, just ask yourself…where are the messages before these? Where is the message confirming she can bring puppies and other guests? Just tell the whole truth and let people decide…why be selective in what you share?
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian Americans in tears: Let’s just for argument sake say there is no proof that Suh had received permission to bring the puppies and two extra guests. Does that excuse the language used by the host. Hardly.
RE: Host dumped by Aibnb after racist incident leaves Asian Americans in tears:Yes it was cancelled because of her race, “one word, ASIAN” Why call out someone’s race unless it was a problem? Hello Brian!! common sense.
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: It’s clear the renter wasn’t refusing because she was Asian, she was attributing her being such a pain in the butt to her being Asian. Her adding whatever she said about Trump makes the story less believable, but you can blame all of those “he grabbed my hijab” and dozens of other hoaxes.
RE: Host Dumped by Airbnb after Racist Incident Leaves Asian American in Teats:I guess stereotyping someone being Asian in association with a “pain in the butt” isn’t racist at all. Now it makes sense. It’s only racism if she didn’t RENT to her for being Asian… not if she just INSULTED her by using her race stereotypically. .. thanks for clearing that up.
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: In reply to uggh reality: Go check out the story in the Washington Post. There you can clearly see the racist comments in the screenshots. Nothing made up here.
RE: Host Dumped by Airbnb after Racist Incident Leaves Asian Americans in tears: UghReally
BUT SHE IS ASIAN AND A PAIN IN THE BUTT????
THAT’S NOT INCORRECT ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC GIRL.
It is not racist in this instance because the host was describing this girl.
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: In reply to JD: And there haven’t been dozens of hoaxes. There have been several, at most.
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after Racist Incident Leaves Asian Americans in Tears: No, there have been dozens. Just recently there was that Israeli Jewish man arrested for the threats to Jewish centers, a Jewish man charged with filing a false report for spray painting swastikas on his house, a black man lighting the door of a business owned by an Indian and leaving a note “from white America”, and a Muslim assistant professor arrested for false report when he emailed threats to himself. Those are all in the last month I believe. Those are just the ones proven to be hoaxes.
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: Name and shame the racist ‘Tami’. Name and shame her in full, track her to the ends of the earth, send wild dogs after her, and punish…her.
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: Oh my, let’s not bury our heads in the sand. Doesn’t matter what she did or didn’t do. Even if she sprung theses dogs or guests at the last minute, the way the host responded is the problem and cancels out things this lady did or didn’t do. The host doesn’t get to respond in a petty insecure evil way. Sure some don’t have a problem with the way she responded why, they subscribe to the stereotypes and Colorism of races even their own so they can fit in to a world that doesn’t want them unless they are willing to be tokens. Wake up!
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: This is the original airbnb page:
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tdrNWaLmFisJ:https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/16108559+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
It clearly said: 2 max guests, No pets.
The lady here showed up to the booking with 4 people and 2 dogs.
I agree that the landlord shouldn’t have said Asian, just because the lady here was meeting the stereotype as any person could be cheap. The landlord should have remained neutral or at the very worst used the word cheap.
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears:Actually, if you look under house rules on that posting, it says: Pets may be considered depending on your pet.
And she didn’t “show up” with 4 people and 2 dogs, she got prior approval, which you can see in the update piece asamnews did.
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: AsAm – Can you ask Dyne to provide the full chat transcript?
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: Done. http://asamnews.com/2017/04/09/some-still-express-serious-doubts-about-victim-in-racist-airbnb-incident/
RE: Host Dumped by Airbnb after Racist Incident Leaves Asian Americans in tears:This is not the entire transcript. The screenshots show conversation before the booking contract was even signed, so weeks before the day of the shitshow!
We need Dyne to provide the full transcript of the events that happened that night to help us understand the situation and finally bury the hatchet amongst those of us who disagree on what happened.
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears: While I applaud Suh’s sensitivity and loving attitude in not naming the host, I believe Catholic social justice demands that the host be named so those affected by her, especially her ESL students, know what and who they are dealing with. To be an effective ESL teacher, one has to be sensitive to cultural and racial differences. Now, every ESL teacher at every local college will be suspected of being the host. It isn’t fair to them, either. And the college has a responsibility to remove a racist teacher from an ESL classroom. In addition, I find it hard to believe those making negative and doubtful comments here are actually Asian, especially Another Asian. Suh stood to gain nothing from creating a fake story and lying. It is a shame that our K-12 educational system doesn’t teach people to think critically.
RE:Host Dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in Tears:In reading numerous articles, ive come to the conclusion that she only teaches esl because she has no other talent than speaking her native tongue. Esl, unlike other subjects, are not taught by professors nor people educated in education. I say this not to be mean, as they may have been struggling to get by and were doing the airbnb to help make ends meet, but many people have pointed to her job as irony of her racism. She deals with foreigners daily and probably hates it and may even be the source of her frustration.
No clue what caused her to snap here, and like others have said, dyne wasn’t an easy customer but to point to her race and tie it to trump.. Thats just too far. If you work with disabled people, you can complain about your job like anyone else, but you cannot vent your frustration by mocking the disabled on their hardship.
RE: Host dumped by Airbnb after racist incident leaves Asian American in tears:We should definitely make public Tami’s real name. Public shame is what she needs, and a racist had no right teaching ESL to multicultural students. How will her students be treated by a teacher like her? She needs to be removed from her job.
RE: Host Dumped by Airbnb after Racist Incident Leaves Asian American in Tears: She tried to bring additional people and dogs to the owner’s rental property at the last minute. Read around all the articles with her interviews, she flat out admitted to it being last minute. This little witch is just playing the race card to get pity from the world. She was in the wrong for what she did just as much as the property owner was for the racial comment. People are just too blinded to see both sides of the story.
RE: Host Dumped by Airbnb after Racist Incident Leaves Asian American in Tears:Oh the customer was wrong on so many levels, but to get racial about it? Wrong nothing can justify her words, she went to a hateful place in order to hurt another person. The host could have told the customer about her behavior. Her behavior has NOTHING to do with her race.