The city of Cincinnati has issued an apology and agreed to pay $151,000 to settle a case in which a Realtor and his client, both of whom are black, were held at gunpoint by police while touring a home.

Earlier this week, Jerry Isham, a Realtor with the local Movement Realty brokerage, and his client, Anthony Edwards, filed a lawsuit against the city of Cincinnati over how they were treated by the Cincinnati police. On Nov. 17, 2018, Isham and Edwards went inside a home in the West Price Hill neighborhood that the latter was considering buying when a retired cop called the police saying that he had seen “two black male subjects force the front door open.”

Three officers rushed to the scene and ordered Isham and Edwards out of the house, at which point they were handcuffed and held at gunpoint until one found Isham’s business cards in one of his pockets. The men were then released without charges but, as Isham told Inman this week, with the sense that they were treated like criminals rather than professionals due to their race.

“The city regrets this extremely unfortunate and unnecessary situation,” Cincinnati City Manager Patrick Duhaney said in a statement Thursday. “Mr. Isham and Mr. Edwards did nothing wrong.”

Duhaney added that the city agreed to pay the men $151,000 to settle the lawsuit. According to Cincinnati.com, he also said that the officers would be able to go through “voluntary training” with the local board of Realtors.

“We are in the process of implementing implicit bias training for all city employees,” Duhaney said. “We sincerely apologize.”

The story has been raising conversation about how real estate professionals of color are sometimes treated by law enforcement professionals — including on Inman Coast to Coast.

“Police shouldn’t just react to what they’re told,” wrote Joseph Sheldon, an agent with Keller Williams Realty Bothell in Washington. “They should take into account whether the report they received may have been racially biased, and act accordingly.”

Others shared stories of similar experiences that they have either seen or experienced themselves.

“Funny, because when the alarm went off at my listing lately (my seller put the alarm on by reflex when he left), the police let the agent call me to confirm it was a showing and nothing else,” wrote Seattle Compass agent Fabrice Muratore. “They didn’t handcuff anybody and were quite relaxed. The agent and clients were not black. Of course.”

Email Veronika Bondarenko

How do you stay ahead in a changing market? Inman Connect Las Vegas — featuring 250+ experts from across the industry sharing insight and tactics to navigate threat and seize opportunity in tomorrow’s real estate market. Join more than 4,000 top producers, brokers and industry leaders to network and discover what’s next, July 23-26 at the Aria Resort. Hurry! Tickets are going fast, register today!

Thinking of bringing your team? There are special onsite perks and discounts when you buy tickets together. Contact us to find out more.

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
Only 3 days left to register for Inman Connect Las Vegas before prices go up! Don't miss the premier event for real estate pros.Register Now ×
Limited Time Offer: Get 1 year of Inman Select for $199SUBSCRIBE×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×