It was a moment to sit back and grab popcorn. Savage. Watching in real time as New York Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou (65th District) took Airbnb to task. Openly on Twitter.

Media reports over the last week have publicized City Comptroller Scott Stringer’s controversial study showing a direct relationship between Airbnb influx and rising rents around the city, but gentrifying neighborhoods like the Lower East Side, in particular. According to Stringer’s findings, Airbnb’s influence cost New Yorkers $616 million in additional rent in 2016 as a result of the added price pressures.

Check out the snippy exchange between Assemblywoman Niou and Airbnb head of New York public policy Josh Meltzer below. You’ll note her reference to displaced tenants of 85 Bowery who were forced to dumpster dive after their landlord, Joseph Betesh, discarded personal belongings curbside.

With all due respect, we support a bill that protects responsible hosts while providing data to the City. MoA Joe Lentol has introduced. We would be happy to bring hosts from your district to your office to explain how the bill is good for NYC families/neighborhoods. — Josh Meltzer (@josh_meltzer) May 7, 2018

With all due respect, @airbnb is welcome to come dig in the dumpsters with me for my constituents belongings next time another person gets displaced thanks to your company. https://t.co/BnR5yrbfil — Yuh-Line Niou (@yuhline) May 7, 2018

So first, make money by letting landlords put up illegal listings which drive up housing cost. Then, when housing is too expensive to stay in, tell tenants a good way to make rent is to put up legal listings to stay in their homes. There are terms for this. Progressive is not one https://t.co/JiTkifXSMh — Yuh-Line Niou (@yuhline) May 7, 2018

With all due respect @josh_meltzer, we are not talking about rooms being rented out in homes. The crisis is landlords who have kicked people out, eliminated rent stab /control apts to set up short term rentals, & residents creating transient communities & instability via @Airbnb — LES Dwellers (@LESdwellers) May 7, 2018

Do you support legislation that puts the onus and responsibility for that on your platform/service?

Unless you do, “self policing” and regulations that slap the wrists of devious landlords is a rather disingenuous response. — Adam Lawrence (@madaecnerwal) May 7, 2018