They're Not Robbers, As Neighbors Thought; They're Airbnb Guests

Airbnb has revolutionized the tourism industry, bringing travelers into neighborhoods surprised to see unfamiliar faces. And, in an Atlanta suburb this weekend, those unfamiliar faces — a black rapper and his friends — had neighbors calling police.

D.C. rapper Stefan Grant and his friends were staying at a home near Decatur that he rented on Airbnb. On Friday, a neighbor called police, concerned the group was robbing the house.

“Yo! The Air B&B we’re staying at is so nice, the neighbors thought we were robbing the place & called the cops!” Grant wrote on Twitter, after taking a selfie with the police officers.

Four officers responded, according to Grant, ”but they were super chill and just doing their job, so I don’t have any complaints.”

And it wasn’t over yet. Grant went on to post a video with a neighbor at the door: “Random neighbor just opens the door on us lol.”

See more of the exchange at Grant’s Twitter feed, @STEFisDOPE.

In town for the A3C Festival, Grant told Slate he wasn’t shocked at the neighbors’ reaction. “We’re black kids in this Leave it to Beaver neighborhood, you know?” he said.

Back in D.C., Grant thanked Twitter followers who shared their concern for him and his friends. The rapper told the AJC that the worst thing he could have done was to get mad in the situation.

“Stay positive, do cool stuff, do creative things,” he told the paper.