Airbnb argument causes neighborhood drama around a pink ‘Emoji House’

An illegal short term rental property. A neighborhood tussle. A $4,000 fine. A bright pink “emoji house.”

In the ritzy L.A. County coastal town of Manhattan Beach, neighbors are fighting each other, and begging the city to intervene, over a less-than-tasteful mural (of sorts) that’s sprung up on the exterior walls of a duplex.

As first reported by Easy Reader News, homeowner Kathryn Kidd recently commissioned an artist to paint her walls bubblegum pink, and adorn them with funhouse mirror-esque emoji. The jumbo-size emoji have extra long eyelashes; one waggles its tongue below lopsided eyes, the other — the “shut up” emoji — has a closed zipper for a mouth 

The problem, beyond the fact that — thanks to selfie seekers — some neighbors call it a traffic-causing eyesore? One neighbor says it’s meant to taunt and intimidate her specifically.

In May, the city fined Kidd $4,000 for using the property for short term rentals. Neighbors told Easy Rider that Kidd was using it as an Airbnb, though  short term rentals are illegal in Manhattan Beach. The city only fined Kidd after one neighbor, Susan Wieland, reported the activity. And that’s where the feud began.

The murals appeared shortly after the city issued the May fine. Wieland could not help but notice the unusually long eyelashes; she says that when she met Kidd, she herself was wearing false eyelashes. The closed mouth zipper of the “shut up” emoji could also be considered intimidating.

Wieland and other neighbors on the block see the murals as taunting, bullying retribution for reporting the homeowner. But Kidd maintains that she is just having some playful fun, that the emoji make her happy, and that she isn’t trying to offend anybody.

The neighbors disagree. They have complained to City Hall, but council members say they can’t compel Kidd to remove the mural. They say that the mural, which is on private property, and was not made with government funds, is protected by the First Amendment.

However, beyond the alleged Airbnb dispute, neighbors are fed up with the property for other reasons. Not only does it stand out amongst the other houses in a way some might describe as “garish.” It has also reportedly become a foot and car traffic nuisance, as people specifically seek out the emoji house for selfies. There are a handful of photos tagged #emojihouse on Instagram featuring the house, though no selfies publicly visible.

Neighbors plan to lobby council members at another city council meeting Tuesday evening, according to the Los Angeles Times. But given the council’s previous stance, they might just have to embrace their new emoji neighbors.