Feds: Illegal dumping in Houston may violate civil rights

By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says it’s investigating illegal dumping in Houston, including dead bodies and medical waste, that officials say is plaguing Black and Latino neighborhoods in the nation’s fourth largest city. The investigation will be led by the department’s civil rights division and will examine whether city police and other departments discriminate against Black and Latino residents in violation of federal civil rights laws. Besides bodies, items dumped in majority Black or Latino neighborhoods include appliances, furniture, tires, medical waste and vandalized ATM machines, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said at a news conference Friday.