On December 27, 2022, a Federal District Court entered a consent order resolving the United States Justice Department’s race and national origin discrimination lawsuit against the City of Hesperia and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. The lawsuit alleged the defendants engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against Black and Hispanic or Latino individuals and communities in Hesperia through the adoption and enforcement of a so-called “crime-free” rental housing program. The lawsuit also alleged that the discriminatory program was intended to drive Black and Hispanic or Latino renters from their homes and from Hesperia, and that enforcement targeted them and the neighborhoods where they were more likely to live.
The settlement agreement creates a $670,000 settlement fund, and the Justice
Department is in the process of identifying individuals who may be eligible for compensation
from the fund.
You may not know whether the “crime-free” program caused your eviction, move, or
denial of rental housing in Hesperia. If you fall within the categories below, we want to hear
from you!
- You lost or were denied rental housing in Hesperia after January 1, 2016, AND
- You or someone in your household identify as Black, Latino, or Hispanic, or you
rented in an area that was majority non-white, AND - You were asked to leave or were denied rental housing following:
–your own arrest or other “criminal activity,” whether or not there was a
charge or conviction, OR
–an arrest or other “criminal activity” of another tenant, guest, or family
member, whether or not there was a charge or conviction, OR
–a call to 911 for help because of mental health or domestic violence, OR
–a call to the police from a victim.
Please call the DOJ’s toll free number at (833) 223-1571 or email them at Hesperia.Investigation@usdoj.gov. When leaving a message, please provide your name, your
telephone number (two if possible), an email address (if you have one), and the best time of
day for us to reach you.
Please contact the DOJ no later than no later than March 1, 2024. If they do not hear from you by
that date, they may not be able to consider a request for compensation. You can find additional information about the settlement here:
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-landmark-agreement-city-andpolice-department-ending-crime-free and about the Fair Housing Act here:
http://www.usdoj.gov/fairhousing.
