Staying in an Airbnb has become the go-to alternative to staying in pricey hotels. The major difference is that you just don’t know what you’re walking into when you check in to an Airbnb. You might walk into a home with a beautiful aura or a complete mess that makes you want to run for the hills. The same goes for a host renting out their home. They might have a guest with perfect home training or a guest that is just straight up gross.

 

When Blue Telusma returned to her Washington D.C. home from L.A., she was anticipating a nice, peaceful morning so she can get back to work. Before she left, she trusted that her home would be taken care of by her two Airbnb guests. One was an Italian research professional and the other, an odd but interesting young man that just needed some space. Upon turning the keys to her home, she saw the communal space was in tip-top condition, leaving no room to worry. Then she went upstairs and noticed her bedroom door was open and saw something odd. “Anyone who has lived with me knows I never leave my bedroom door open, so immediately I was confused,” Telusma said.

 

Aggravated by this blatant intrusion of privacy, the Grio.com writer entered her bedroom to see clumps of what looked like dirt all over her vanity chair. Upon closer inspection, she realized what looked like dirt was actually human feces, all over the bedroom. There were only two suspects, so she immediately began investigating. She asked her Italian guest what happened first. “From what I remember, I knocked on the door of the Italian researcher and without any pleasantries asked, “Did you go in my room?!” Just as confused as Blue, he denied the allegation but admitted to seeing her room open the day before.

 

She immediately headed to the basement where her other guest was staying to see what he had to say. Asking him the exact same question she asked the other guest, the young man’s response was one for the books. “Oh no. I’ve done this before. I got drunk and blacked out.”

 

 

Talk about a stinky situation. Traumatized by his admission and unapologetic demeanor, Telusma went from being angry to afraid. She left her house and called Airbnb in hopes of getting some help, giving them a play-by-play of what she witnessed, which was feces left on her vanity chair and floor, stains wiped all over the sheets and pillows and urine in her slippers. Debating on whether to call the police, the popular start-up asked her not to. Telusma decided to take matters in her own hands and went on social media.

 

Of course, that got Airbnb’s attention, which expedited her case, but she still wanted the police involved. Hopeful, she passed a police officer around the corner from her home and thought he would arrive within minutes of being dispatched. Wrong. In her story, Telusma said it took the officer 45 minutes to get to her home and to make matters worse, he took the side of her guest after he began crying. “He’s really sorry ma’am,” the cop explained. “He’s so humiliated. I think the kid has a drinking problem and doesn’t even remember sh**ting all over your room. All we have is your word for it. Plus, this isn’t even illegal.”

 

 

If defecating in someone’s home isn’t illegal then what is? Lastly, the police officer shared one more frightening thing. “While I was in there I asked him what he would’ve done to you if you’d been in the room when he busted in. And his response was ‘I honestly don’t know.’

 

There was nothing more the police could have done so he left Telusma and her friend on the porch with unanswered questions and the perpetrator still in the house. However, she did know one thing. If she were a Kim Kardashian look-alike, things would have gone down differently. Although Airbnb paid Telusma for her guest’s three-month commitment and agreed to pay for the cleaning crew and property replacement, Telusma said it doesn’t measure up to experiencing how police treat people of color. “That officer took one look at me, then at the man who destroyed my home and chose a side with him based on race and gender rather than on merit,” Telusma said.  “Not even a stinky pile of dung could free him from that bias.”