Mass Shooting in Airbnb house in Orinda last night, 4 dead

[Lan1]

Breaking news:  4 dead, many injured in  an Airbnb party house in Orinda CA last night ( 10/31). The house is just few steps away from my second residence in the same street. About 10:00pm, My daughter and I were driving back to our residence, noticed that the street were full of cars. After a while, we heard police helicopters and ambulances arriving ....Neighboor next door told us there was a mass shooting in the Airbnb house few steps away.

The head of Airbnb trust and safety announced that  they will conduct serious investigation, according to the news.

My dear fellow host, I have been posting  many times regarding my concerns to Airbnb unsafe booking process.  My own house has been targeted several times for huge parties/criminal activities, but it couldn’t get enough attention from Airbnb trust and safety 

department.

 Please protect yourself and be safe!

[Denis227]

@Rebecca181 

Nice to meet you in the  virtual world of the Internet.  

I'd be interested to know the breadth of your study.  In particular, if by "dysfunctional SYSTEMS" , you mean any group of people or organisation from elementary brotherhood (or sorority)  to whole families  up to political parties, corporations , entire nations.

This exchange could take place outside this thread obviously

Currently reading the biography of Christopher McCandless, written by his sister after his deadly trip "Into the wild" ( the true story behind the movie).

A typically dysfunctional family.  

[Rebecca181]

Yes. All dysfunctional systems, micro to macro, share common traits, @Denis227. I used to give lectures on how we might find ourselves playing out our family-of-origin roles in the workplace, for example. Given the 'narrative' of the system is created by the system's power-holders in a dysfunctional family or organizational  or socio-political system, the narrative that is created invariably benefits the power-holders of the system.

We see this being played out right now in the story Airbnb / Chesky is creating around the Orinda shootings, which also cleverly yet inexplicably integrated the issues brought up in the 'Vice' article, although these were two completely separate and dissimilar events. That's some pretty sophisticated reality distortion going on right there - Similar to those mirrors in a carnival 'fun house' where images are distorted, bent, and warped. Only, this 'fun house' we find ourselves in is not so fun. 

This distorted reality created by Chesky and his team is now the 'narrative' and 'reality picture' the media and public are being fed. Why would they have any reason to doubt what they are being told? And what power do hosts have to refute it? Particularly when it might work against us to do so (fear of being delisted; fear of losing income; fear of appearing histrionic; fear of being "disappeared" (like other hosts before us). Fear of... (fill in the blank). 

In the end, fear is the system power-holder's best friend.

[Denis227]

@Rebecca181 

From Chomsky to Chesky, America has lost  more than one letter..

In foreign affairs, your  topic has been well troden by Chomsky ever since the 1980's  when he was writing about the impossibility for american media to say that America was aggressively pursuing its interests in the Vietnam war.  Those who learned the lesson from Chomsky  are probably too few, since the same wargame  happened again with Irak ( without France) , Lybia  and more recently again in Syria ( with France's help).  We are being told that the reason for these military interventions is dictatorship abroad and democrary at home. But we all know that this has never been a good enough reason for military intervention. 

To bounce back on Chomsky's most famous book, the power holders have realised in the last decades that they don't even need to manufacture our consent with false narratives. They just need to manufacture our apathy. Confusing people with all sorts of tricks , sleight of hands, word abuse,   and fake news is how they try to have people disorientated and have them gradually  withdraw from taking an active part in society. Like when they manage to  kill  three birdy-skyscrappers in NYC  with just two stoned planes.  

While the dominant narrative in the elite has come unscathed from the last financial crisis ( no keynesian economics has yet  been substituted to the idolatry of the market), the dominant narrative in the popular masses at least in France  has started to shift forcefully in  years 2005-2010. People have now understood that the words "democracy"  and " progress"  are being constantly abused in the name of maintaining the interests of the oligarchy. In France, the general contempt for the mass media is (one of)  the strongest  cement holding together  the Yellow Jacket movement. The narrative nurtured by the elite continues to be blown in the air full speed but the majority of the people have closed their ears.

[Sarah977]

@Denis227  And one of the best ways of ensuring apathy is to have a comfortable, complacent population. Good health care, livable minimum wage, plenty of food on the table, good infrastructure, decent housing, and people are less likely to get involved with things that don't impact them directly. When you add to that advertising and marketing which makes them think that having the latest iphone, the most fashionable clothes and hairstyles, the best vehicle, and that there is great value in spending their time on social media, they become distracted from the real issues and taking real action.

People take action when their lives are untenable and they won't stand for it anymore.

[Denis227]

@Sarah977 

You are right but being able to maintain a decent standard of living "above poverty"   is no guarantee against huge protests as can be seen again in the Yellow Jacket movement. While there are millions of destitutes in France, you will hardly see  them in the streets every saturdays. Most of them won't even consider complaining, not mentionning the problem of finding  a transport to the major cities where demos take place  ( demonstrations take place every saturday. Next saturday will be the first anniversary and Paris will be crowded again with  police vans and water cannons) .

What really prompts people to walk the streets and challenge the police is the fear of social "downgrading"  ( déclassement social ) prompted by the growing job instability which is now in full swing in France. This fear is at this very moment  powerful enough to stir people out of apathy.

Another idea which fuels the current movement , and which might not be conveyed by international media, is this idea that this social unrest  is the "final chance"  :  if this one fails to "upturn the table" , then its over :  the powerful ones will get full control of the internet in the coming years  and will reduce its already shrinking  pockets of resistance to almost nil, therefore making it very difficult to start another movement.   This idea is probably fueled by the on going Julian Assange epic which, over here in Europe,  has  already reached Robin Hood proportion...    

[Sarah977]

@Denis227  Yes, there is also what one might see as apathy among the impoverished and disenfranchised. Especially in countries where there is a lot of corruption, people can view protest as futile or dangerous. 

A friend of mine, an American who owns and runs a hostel in my town, and who is a legal resident, but not a citizen, was standing on the sidewalk with her Mexican neighbors one day when the state governor was in town. He was walking down the street with his entourage, patting themselves on the back over the new 3-block-long tree-lined avenue they had financed. My friends' Mexican neighbors said to her "Cathy, there he is- go tell him we need new sewers on this street." She said "You  need to tell him- he doesn't care what I have to say- I'm a foreigner, I can't vote here. He doesn't care about our sewers, he cares about not being voted out of office." But none of them would dare to go up and talk to him.

There have been very few Gandhis in the world- those who can mobilize the poor and abused and instill in them the strength and confidence to force change.

[Susan17]

@Sarah977 

"Especially in countries where there is a lot of corruption, people can view protest as futile or dangerous"

Change the word "countries" for "companies", and you're pretty much describing the exact scenario that allows the likes of Airbnb to carry on getting away with exploiting and abusing people to their heart's content. 

"Science may have found a cure for most evils, but it has no remedy for the worst of them all - the apathy of human beings" - Helen Keller

[Rebecca181]

@Sarah977 Access to credit fuels a lot of this illusory 'contentment' as well. If Americans had no credit and had to live according to what they could actually pay for and afford, their apathetic stance might end 'tout de suite' (toot suite). 

[Rebecca181]

Based on everything I have learned about the machinations going on over at Airbnb Corporate, I wouldn't put it past them. 'Trust' and 'Community'? Not if you're an Airbnb HOST.

[Denis227]

 @Sarah977, @Susan17,  @Branka-and-Silvia0, @Rebecca181, @Ute42, @David6, @Susan1028, @Lan1 

In case you had missed this video taken  at an AirBnb in Chicago posted on FB under the following caption 

#AirBNB Parties are where they SET  these kids up to get Killed Now A  Days in #Chicago not the first time this has happen will not be the Last.

RAW image capture presumably  by mobile phone 

*sensitive imagery removed*

The caption reads itself is an act of accusation against AirBnb as it tends to prove that , in people's mind attending AirBnb parties can put you at risk. *sensitive content removed*

Nobody would write such an horrendous  sentence, if the occurence of  shootings during parties was anectodical

[Marie82]

@Denis227  thank you for the videos, what I am worried about with all this Lawsuit, many guests with a bigger property will avoid at all cost at least in the US and North American in general, black guests who wish to book.

ABB on the name of inclusion in the booking process will end up in more segregation.

I honestly hope this lawsuit will serve ABB to make strong regulation on screening guests. 

[Denis227]

@Marie82 

Indeed !!!  I, for one,  would be interested to read a report on  how the black community in general  currently gets round the implicit  vetting process on AirBnb and similar platforms.  A vetting process which given the level of violence in your country , is even  more critical to analyse step by step. 

Obviously as a party house owner renting from time to time to the ( french and even swiss)  black community  I know some elements of answer to this question !    

By "implicit  vetting process"    I mean all the elements which NON BLACKS  currently use to  deselect or ostracize  "higher risk guests"   when deciding on whom they are going to rent to to. 

Implicit ostracism can  take place  either before reservation thru mail exchange ( assuming the owner is NOT on instant booking) and after reservation when some  elements of identity and address ( whether true or false is another matter) are unveiled .to the house owner with the consequence that he/she  will decide to cancel the reservation on frivolous or unmotivated ground ( in order  to drown our famous fish !!!) .  

Your idea is good but of no use in this particular case.

Why is it a good idea  ? 

If all of you (american hosts,)  had the opportunity to bring AirBnb to Court in a Class Action to hold the company accountable for all sorts of breaches  to consumer law and protection including negligence and defectuosity of the app (as  explained  in my recent "tentative pleading" ) , you could use this  argument of yours to refute AirBnb's plea that their booking procedure makes it materially impossible to vet black guests  on the basis of the colour of their skin. 

You could prove that such  self-congratulation on the part of AirBnb  is mere  PR bull**bleep**. Either  by bringing to the Court a cartography of AirBnb party houses showing that owners living close enough  to black communities  tend to avoid renting their houses for parties ( that would probably  require some serious university research into the matter ) . Or by producing host testimonies which say exactly what you wrote.  

But it is not an argument for  the debates on the Orinda killing since judges will not discuss what would have happened, had the house owner decided not to rent to the organizer (and therefore had  rent to another person, whether of white, yellow or black complexion). 

[Susan17]

@Denis227 

It's all hypothetical though... class action forbidden, binding arbitration (of Airbnb's choice) only. 

Please note: Section 19 of these Terms contains an arbitration clause and class action waiver that applies to all Airbnb Members. If your country of residence is the United States, this provision applies to all disputes with Airbnb. If your country of residence is outside of the United States, this provision applies to any action you bring against Airbnb in the United States. It affects how disputes with Airbnb are resolved. By accepting these Terms, you agree to be bound by this arbitration clause and class action waiver. 

"Airbnb, While Pledging To Combat Discrimination, Insulates Itself From Legal Pressure To Do Just That"

https://medium.com/equal-future/airbnb-while-pledging-to-combat-discrimination-insulates-itself-from...

[Denis227]

@Susan17 

No kidding !!!!!!!!!!!!!  Never heard about these Class Action waivers before. 

I'm completely flabbergasted by the gall they have 

In France such an article would not hold one second in front of any  court.

The article would be declared ABUSIVE at first sight , and whatever is abusive in a  contract imposed by a  company to its consumers,  is simply null void and  considered unwritten.......

How come consumer associations in the US can let do this without an head-on front attack on these guys ? 

Ralph Nader WAKE UP  !!!  

[Susan17]

Forbes - Is Airbnb's Overhaul A Turning Point For Platform Responsibility?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tarunwadhwa/2019/11/09/is-airbnbs-overhaul-a-turning-point-for-platform...

***(When asked for comment, Airbnb would not provide direct answers to questions about how their verification procedures work and why they waited so long to make changes.)