Mr. Hughley shares the experience in his book, "Surrender, White People!", A Satirical Look at White Supremacy, published by Harper Collins in June that examines racial inequality in the United States in terms of education, health care and housing Market.
“People always tell us to pull up on our boot straps. But what if you remove the straps? "he said." You are invested in the American dream, you have capital, you have a chip in the game. And the fact that someone could only sum up my assets based on a bias seemed insane to me. "
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, a federal decision passed in March allowed homes that were sold to be remotely assessed under certain circumstances, temporarily disrupting the need for interior inspections. However, if you want to refinance yourself, you have to make a personal assessment.
In Mr. Hughley's case, the appraiser was dismissed. Ms. Horton filed a complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. When contacted about her case, HUD said it had been assigned to the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission. The agency added that it receives a handful of similar complaints every year.
In 2018, researchers from Gallup and the Brookings Institution published a report on the widespread devaluation of black property in the United States, which they discussed in a 2019 hearing before the House's Financial Services Subcommittee. The report found that a home in a mostly black neighborhood is likely worth 23 percent less than a nearly identical home in a mostly white neighborhood. This devaluation was also found to cost black homeowners $ 156 billion in accumulated losses.
Many reviewers, both during the hearing and in the weeks after, defended their practice, noting that it is their job to report on local market conditions, not to define them.
“Is there a problem with poor and underserved communities in the United States? Yes. Is It the Fault of the Assessment Profession? No, ”wrote Maureen Sweeney, a Chicago-based appraiser, in a letter to the House subcommittee after the hearing. "It's like blaming the canary for the bad air in the coal mine or the mirror for your bad day. Reviewers reflect the market; we can't do it."
