My Office’s Record of Standing Up for District Residents

Last week, I testified before the DC Council about the work of the Office of the Attorney General. It was my last oversight hearing as Attorney General. Reflecting on my two terms as the first independent elected attorney general, I’m proud of the work we have done to advocate every day for District residents – especially our most vulnerable residents – and we’ll be working as hard as ever over the next 10 months.

During the hearing, we specifically emphasized the office’s work to fight against the displacement of residents, hold companies accountable that harm workers and consumers, defend our democracy and combat hate, and protect public safety in the short and long-term. Here’s just a snapshot of that work. Our office has been:

• Fighting slumlords who seek to profit at the expense of long-term brown, Black, senior, low-income, and vulnerable residents, and expanded our work to affirmatively support affordable housing;
• Stopping real estate companies and professionals that post discriminatory advertisements or refuse to rent to voucher-holding tenants;
• Going after companies for stealing wages from their employees and for illegally misclassifying workers so they can pay them less, deprive them of benefits, or treat them worse;
• Standing up for District consumers, including by bringing significant scrutiny to big technology companies;
• Strengthening civil rights protections for District residents by introducing landmark legislation that would prohibit companies from using algorithms that produce discriminatory results and lock our most vulnerable residents out of opportunities like jobs and housing;
• Holding accountable the January 6 insurrectionists by filing a lawsuit against them that stands up for our brave law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to protect the District and our democracy;
• Fighting in the courts to make sure the 2020 election was free and fair and continuing that work after the election to stop efforts to undermine the election or restrict the right to vote; and
• Working as president of the bipartisan National Association of Attorneys General focused to combat hate by bringing together attorneys general, experts, survivors, and community advocates to examine how hate can be prevented through policy, programming, and training.

We also reinforced my office’s efforts to improve public safety in both the short and long-term. I know many residents are on edge right now, and rightfully so. Everyone and every family deserves to be safe in their homes and communities.

But first we need to start with facts: Over the last two fiscal years, crime committed by kids has dropped by 51% and violent crime committed by kids dropped by 46%. But we have to address one category where there has been a significant increase in crime committed by children: carjackings. I want to be clear: when the police bring us enough evidence to prove these cases, we prosecute them. All of them. We don’t divert them.

We have been working for over a year to address carjackings by young people. Specifically, over a year ago, we partnered with the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Office to share and receive detailed information about investigations and cases with the goal of improving prosecutions of these cases. And, importantly, in cases involving repeat offenders, we ask the court to detain the children and provide them with the services they need.

But the fact is also that there are many unsolved cases of carjackings. MPD has told the press and the public that it has received 452 reports of carjacking. But only 149 arrests have been made.

My office will continue to do all we can to make the juvenile justice system fair and effective and to protect public safety both now and in the future. But in the absence of a District-wide plan, or any real solutions to address problems created by adults, children are being blamed. My office is doing everything we can to make our communities safer and using every tool in our toolbox to accomplish that goal.

I’m proud of the work my office has done this year, and over the last seven years. All of us at the Office of the Attorney General are committed to standing up for District residents and I have no doubt that this year will be our strongest yet.

To read my full testimony from the hearing with more facts and details, click here. Also follow this thread on Twitter to see testimony from District residents talking about the impact of our work, and to see a video of my opening statement from the hearing.

Thank you.

Karl A. Racine
Attorney General 

Happy Black History Month, DC!

Happy Black History Month, DC! Black History Month honors the achievements and resilience of African Americans and celebrates the beauty that is Black culture. Black history is American history, and it deserves to be amplified and celebrated. And DC’s history is rooted in Black history. We live in the first majority-Black major city in the nation with a rich history going back generations of Black Washingtonians demanding justice and autonomy. That fight continues today.

This month, I want to hear from our future leaders: students across the District. What does DC’s Black history mean to you, and where do you see its impact today?

Post your answer–whether it’s art, photographs, poems, or essays—with the hashtag #OurDCBlackHistory. I can’t wait to see what you have to share!

Also, check out my new Medium post about 10 things you probably didn’t know about DC’s Black history.

Win: Predatory Online Lender Will Compensate Thousands of DC Consumers

Last week, I announced that Elevate Credit, Inc., a predatory online lender, will pay at least $3.3 million to refund over 2,500 District consumers who were misleadingly marketing high-cost loans and lines of credit; will waive over $300,000 in interest owed by those consumers; and will pay $450,000 to the District. The company will also be required to stop charging rates above the District’s legal cap of 24% and to cease deceptive and misleading business practices. This settlement will put money back into the pockets of District consumers who were illegally overcharged. District consumers should be skeptical of any lender, including so-called fin-tech companies, that promise easy money without any financial consequence. This resolution is part of my office's continued focus on protecting DC residents from predatory lenders. Read more from WTOP.

Protecting Longtime DC Residents from Displacement and Dangerous Housing Conditions

Earlier this month, I announced that my office filed two separate lawsuits against neglectful landlords to protect District residents in Ward 5 and Ward 2 from displacement and to remedy hazardous housing conditions:

• In a lawsuit against the owners and managers of the apartment complex at 65 through 97 Hawaii Avenue, NE and 66 and 98 Webster Street, NE in Ward 5, we allege the complex’s owners neglected the property to try to force longtime District residents and working-class families out of their homes to make way for redevelopment.
   
• In a separate lawsuit, we allege that the owners and managers of King Towers, an apartment building in Ward 2 where many of the tenants use housing vouchers, have allowed conditions to deteriorate dramatically and are discriminating against physically disabled tenants.

My office filed these two lawsuits as part of our long-term effort to protect tenants, preserve affordable housing, and disrupt the illegal and immoral business model that is driving out long-term residents who deserve to be able to stay in their homes. We will continue to stand up for tenants and hold property owners accountable if they neglect their properties or try to make a quick buck by circumventing tenants’ rights. Read more from The Washington Post.

Fighting for Fair Wages for DC’s Frontline Workers

Earlier this month, I filed a wage theft lawsuit against Azure Healthcare Services LLC, a company that operated six supported-living facilities in the District, and its former owners for denying frontline health care workers the wages they were due after working extended hours for patients during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the company was sold by its owners, Azure had around 50 employees who served in caregiving, counseling, and support roles for people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These workers stepped up and did their jobs – working long hours at the company’s request during an unprecedented time for patients in need. They are entitled to get paid for that work. Azure and its former owners prioritized profits over their employees’ livelihoods and well-being and they must be held accountable. Read more from DCist.

Tenant Alert: You Have the Right to Heat, Inspections, and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
 

No one should be stuck in the cold inside their apartments. From October to the end of April, apartments must be kept at least 68 degrees during the day, and 65 degrees at night. Your landlord also needs to provide annual safety inspections for heating and carbon monoxide. Violations of the law can contribute to the evidence my office needs to file a lawsuit against a negligent landlord so we can help protect residents. Read more about your rights in our tenant alert.