D.C. Says Amazon Stopped Fast Deliveries to Predominantly Black Neighborhoods: ComplainT

The District of Columbia has filed a lawsuit against Amazon, claiming the company secretly stopped shipping directly to two predominantly Black neighborhoods while continuing to charge residents in the area for its Amazon Prime memberships.

The complaint, which was filed Wednesday in the District of Columbia Superior Court and reviewed by PEOPLE, alleges that Amazon stopped sending its drivers into the two predominantly Black neighborhoods — zip codes 20019 and 20020 — in mid-2022 and, as a result, shipments to customers in the area have since seen a dramatic decrease in speed.

District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb said in a statement that the shopping giant “is charging tens of thousands” of residents in the area “for an expedited delivery service it promises but does not provide.”

The attorney general alleges in the complaint that the company instead uses other delivery services, such as the U.S. Postal Service and UPS, instead of sending its own drivers to the two zip codes in question.

“While Amazon has every right to make operational changes, it cannot covertly decide that a dollar in one ZIP code is worth less than a dollar in another,” Schwalb added. “We’re suing to stop this deceptive conduct and make sure District residents get what they’re paying for.”

In a statement to the Associated Press, an Amazon spokesperson admitted the company made changes to the shipping methods it uses for the two predominantly Black zip codes and defended its decision, saying that “there have been specific and targeted acts against drivers delivering Amazon packages” in the areas named in the lawsuit.

“We made the deliberate choice to adjust our operations, including delivery routes and times, for the sole reason of protecting the safety of drivers,” Kelly Nantel, the Amazon spokesperson, told the AP. “The claims made by the attorney general, that our business practices are somehow discriminatory or deceptive, are categorically false.”

The District of Columbia’s lawsuit alleges there are roughly 48,000 people living in the two neighborhoods who are signed up for a Prime membership and are being discriminated against by the $2.29 trillion dollar company. Prime memberships have cost customers $139 since 2022, when the attorney general alleges the company’s shipping practices were changed.

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Schwalb alleges the change has led to “significantly longer delivery times” for those roughly 48,000 customers, despite Amazon’s shipping speeds increasing overall nationwide in recent years. According to the lawsuit, only 25% of Prime packages sent to customers in the two neighborhoods throughout 2023 arrived within a two-day window. Meanwhile, before Amazon allegedly stopped sending its own drivers to the neighborhoods, about 72% of Prime packages came to customers there within two days.

The District of Columbia categorized Amazon’s decision to continue charging customers the full price despite most packages allegedly not arriving in time as “misleading” and “deceiving.”

The lawsuit “seeks to stop Amazon from engaging in unfair and deceptive practices” and aims to “obtain restitution and damages” for the customers affected in the two neighborhoods, the attorney general’s office says.

To help combat systemic racism, consider learning from or donating to these organizations:

• Campaign Zero works to end police brutality in America through research-proven strategies.
• ColorofChange.org works to make the government more responsive to racial disparities.
• National Cares Mentoring Movement provides social and academic support to help Black youth succeed in college and beyond.