DOJ official on Houston trash services investigation: 'No one in the United States should be exposed to risk of illness and other serious harm'

The City of Houston is the subject of a federal investigation into whether black and Latino residents are being discriminated against in relation to garbage pickup, according to a report from Houston ABC affiliate KTRK.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) initiated its environmental justice investigation on Friday, with the department’s Civil Rights Division looking into the city’s handling of requests for municipal services and illegal dumping.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a DOJ-issued press release that illegal dumpsites pose a quality of life issue.

“Illegal dumpsites not only attract rodents, mosquitos and other vermin that pose health risks, but they can also contaminate surface water and impact proper drainage, making areas more susceptible to flooding,” Clarke said, according to the release. “No one in the United States should be exposed to risk of illness and other serious harm because of ineffective solid waste management or inadequate enforcement programs.”

Clarke added that the DOJ “will conduct a fair and thorough investigation.”

According to the department, the investigation will determine any violations to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Title VI forbids federal financial assistance recipients from practicing discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin.

KTRK reported that the complaint against the city originated in the Trinity/Houston Gardens neighborhood on the north side, to which resident Huey German-Wilson implied is much-needed.

"So what this is saying to us in terms of the Department of Justice is that somebody heard us, and they see that this is ridiculous," German-Wilson, who’s also the Super Neighborhood president, told the station.

Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported that Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner criticized the DOJ.

According to the station, Turner asserted that his administration “has prioritized the needs of communities of color” that have historically lacked access to city resources.

“The City of Houston was stunned and disappointed to learn about the investigation into illegal dumping by third parties launched by the U.S. Department of Justice,” the mayor said, KHOU reported. “Despite the DOJ's pronouncements, my office received no advanced notice. This investigation is absurd, baseless, and without merit.”

KHOU reported that Houston residents with complaints should email the Federal Coordination and Compliance Section at TX.Houston.EJ@usdoj.gov or call 1 (888) 848-5306.