We found people really liked Annie's warmth and the welcoming vibe of her home -- but not always the neighborhood.
Airbnb guest Kimberly L., an artist from Jackson, MI, appears to have witnessed the Aug. 17th incident that Annie video taped. In her generally upbeat review, Kimberly calls the neighborhood "rough" and writes, "There was an incident down the street while I was there. It was unfortunate...
Antionette Wonsey, known as "Annie W." on Airbnb, has confirmed to LAUNCH that she received a citation from the Chicago police the night of Aug. 17 for failing to have a business license for renting rooms via Airbnb. She said she is scheduled to appear in court...
[ Annie W.'s Englewood place is featured on an Airbnb page promoting bed and breakfasts in Chicago. ]
Airbnb host Annie W., in a video in which it appears members of the Chicago Police confront her about renting to white tourists, an officer also asks for her ID to cite her for operating a business without a license.
The male officer tells Annie, "You have to have a license in the City of Chicago to operate a business."
Annie, who eventually agrees to cooperate, then asks the officer, "I need an operating license to run an Airbnb? A license -- to rent out rooms out of my house and not provide any food? Is that what you're saying?" [ see our story with the video transcript ]
UPDATE [ 11:26am PT 8/24/11 ] Annie has confirmed that she received a citation for not having a business license and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 22. This event raises questions about which licenses -- if any -- Chicago residents need to legally host people. From our research, it seems Chicago folks need to consult with the city on...
[Photo of homes in Englewood by Samuel A. Love via creative commons license. ]
Chicago police told Airbnb host Annie W. she shouldn't rent rooms to white people because of safety concerns in her Englewood neighborhood, just south of downtown.
"This is a very dangerous neighborhood," a Chicago police officer told Annie, who recorded the incident and posted it to YouTube [ see our related story ]. "You're running a business which is gonna draw international people to this location. They have to be safeguarded. Something nasty could happen here. Most of all, it embarrasses the City of Chicago."
The most dangerous neighborhood in the entire country is Chicago's Near West Side, according to a 2010 Neighborhood Scout report. The list, which is based on FBI data, did not mention Englewood.
However, the Englewood District had the 6th highest number of violent crimes reported in the city between...
Chicago police officers confronted a black Airbnb host in the city's Englewood neighborhood about renting to white tourists -- allegedly over guest safety -- in an episode the host filmed and posted to YouTube.
"They have to be safeguarded. Something nasty could happen here. Most of all, it embarrasses the City of Chicago," an officer says on the video [ see our story on the high crime rate in Englewood ].
At the end, a male police officer asks the host for ID and says he is citing her for running a business without an operating license.
UPDATE [ 11:26am PT 8/24/11 ] Annie has confirmed that she received a citation for not having a business license and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 22.
The video appears to be legitimate. We have contacted the Chicago Police, who are looking at the video, as well as Airbnb and the owner.
Transcript [ unproofed ].
0:23: WOMAN: You will have a really hard time with that. And I know my legalities too.
0:38 COPS: This is a very dangerous neighborhood.
0:41 WOMAN: Well, you know what, when I was living in Hyde Park, my boss got robbed three times in her own apartment. My friends at gunpoint in the safe area at the beach and it was four of them. Three of my other friends got pulled when they were going down 113th street and they were driving and there was a person that was shooting and put them at gun point and then said get out of the car.
1:10 WOMAN: The people didn't even have a car but when they pulled off, the police pulled them over because they were trying to get away from the people on the street.
1:13 WOMAN: So your version of dangerous area versus what you consider a safe area is not the same.
2:01 PM PDT Wed, Aug 24, 2011 
