U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves announced the formation of an Affirmative Civil Rights and Environmental Justice Unit in the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Columbia. In a news release, Graves said the new civil unit would focus on investigating and enforcing federal civil rights and environmental laws within the District and conducting regular community outreach regarding civil rights and environmental justice concerns.
“Protecting civil rights within our District is a high priority for both the Department and our Office,” Graves stated. “We recognize that communities of color and low-income communities too often feel the greatest effects of environmental contamination and pollution, so we are also committed to addressing those issues as part of this new unit, and we generally want to hear from our fellow community members when they believe their rights have been violated and legal action is needed.”
The unit will work to enforce federal civil rights laws regarding discrimination, housing, disability access, environmental justice, sexual harassment, and other matters. Deputy Civil Chiefs John Truong, the division’s Civil Rights Coordinator, and Diana Valdivia, the office’s Environmental Justice coordinator, will coordinate the unit’s activities.
Further, officials said the unit would primarily be staffed with three assistant U.S. Attorneys, Carlos Andino, Christopher Hair, and Sean Tepe. It will work closely with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and Environmental and Natural Resources Division, coordinating its activities with other Justice Department components and local, state, and federal agencies as appropriate.
Graves noted that creating the unit is part of the Justice Department’s initiative to confront discrimination through modern, comprehensive methods, prioritize community outreach, and better use civil enforcement mechanisms.
He added that advancing environmental justice is also a priority for the Justice Department, which recently created the Office of Environmental Justice within the Environmental and Natural Resources Division to engage all Justice Department bureaus, components, and offices in the collective pursuit of environmental justice.
“These efforts will promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty for all District residents by working to ensure that they live and work in environmentally safe conditions and enjoy their full panoply of civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States,” Graves noted in the release.
