November 6, 2019

OAG Report Summarizes Local Perspectives on Discrimination in D.C.; Findings Guiding OAG’s Civil Rights Work

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today released a report highlighting key civil rights concerns District residents shared with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), including concerns about housing discrimination, racism, and bias-motivated violence against the LGBTQ+ community. The report, “Community Voices: Perspectives on Civil Rights in the District of Columbia,” summarizes input received at five community listening sessions about ways in which discrimination can limit access to opportunities in housing, employment, and education, and can lead to physical, emotional, and economic harms. OAG will use these findings to help define priorities for its newly formed Civil Rights Section, which fights illegal discrimination against District residents. The report also describes OAG’s work in responding to resident concerns so far, including significant enforcement efforts, and potential next steps.

“Community members described to us a painful truth—many District residents still face harmful discrimination and even violence because of who they are, who they love, or where they are from,” said AG Racine. “The passionate and personal stories residents shared have pointed our civil rights work to a path forward. We will continue to listen and work closely with the community to knock down barriers to opportunity here in the District.”

The District’s Human Rights Act (HRA) is one of the strongest civil rights laws in the country. It broadly outlaws discrimination based on traits including race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and disability. In response to evidence of ongoing bias and discrimination in the District, OAG launched its Civil Rights Section in April 2019. The section, composed of four attorneys and one investigator, protects the civil rights of District residents by bringing lawsuits to challenge discrimination, advocating for legislation to strengthen antidiscrimination laws, and engaging in educational community outreach so that residents know their rights. The team focuses on combatting large-scale discriminatory practices in order to serve as a significant deterrent to illegal discriminatory conduct.

In order to inform the priorities of the Civil Rights Section, OAG hosted a series of five community listening sessions across the District this summer to hear directly from residents regarding their civil rights concerns. At each listening session, OAG used real-time polling and small group discussions to capture the experiences and views of participating community members. In all, over 90 residents from all eight wards of the District participated in the listening sessions.