Racial profiling during house showing

On Wednesday, October 28th, my parents, specifically my Dad, Craig Woolridge experienced an absurd act of racial profiling in his very own home. On that day my parents were showing our home to a realtor by the name of Margaret Miggins of The Miggins Real Estate Group. When she arrived she asked my dad if my mom was home. He told her that she was, and that she would be downstairs shortly. Without my mom present, my dad began to show Ms. Miggins our home. About 10 minutes (or so) went by before my mom joined them and they proceeded to show Ms. Miggins the rest of our home together. After another 10 minutes, our doorbell rang. Upon answering the door my mom and dad were shocked to see two South Orange Police Officers standing on the porch, asking to see “the realtor.” Confused by their presence, my dad asked the police why they were there and who called them. There was no definitive answer as Ms. Miggins greeted the female officer with a warm hello and hug. They were told that Ms. Miggins and the cop were old friends. It was only later that Ms. Miggins pulled my mom to the side and said that her husband (Mr. Miggins) had called the police after she had called him to tell him that she initially felt uncomfortable in the house alone with my dad, while waiting for my mom to appear.

Ms. Miggins "after the fact" explanations are absurd and were simply added to cover for her obvious racism. Ms. Miggins claimed that the combination of her being alone with my dad with classical music playing in my home and a lit fireplace made her feel uncomfortable. Of course, any homeowner would try to portray their home in the best possible light for a realtor, so my dad really questions whether this would have been her reaction if my home was in Short Hills. At no point did my dad say or do anything to make Ms. Miggins feel threatened or uncomfortable, and as a senior marketing person for an established hedge fund, he is considered by most people to be very personable and a distinct member of the South Orange community.

What is even more absurd is what followed after my father sent an unanswered complaint to Ms. Miggins. He wrote an email to Ms. Miggins addressing his concerns. He didn’t hear back from her until Mr. Miggins arrived on our doorstep uninvited and unannounced early Saturday morning. He came to the door insisting to see my dad and my aunt told him that he was unavailable. Instead of promptly leaving the property he sat outside our residence for approximately 10 minutes. This made my aunt and mom very uncomfortable, as they did not know his intentions. Despite our uncertainty about his intentions, we chose not to escalate the situation by calling the police.

Upon filing a complaint to the company, my dad only received an excuse for her behavior and barely an apology. I refuse for this woman to disrespect my family in our own home and to let this situation be swept under the rug. Please share this so that Ms. Miggins is made accountable through her company for her actions.