Former U.S. Attorney Timothy Heaphy for the Western District of Virginia

5/24/2018

Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy

Partner

c/o Hunton & Williams LLP

2200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC  20037

Dear Attorney Heaphy,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan with a strong interest in learning history and social justice. In these subjects, I like to learn the need for Civil Rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, and have criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime,. Attorney Heaphy, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work when you served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia to be very inspiring to me.

In 2009, I liked on how you accepted President Obama to be nominated to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia to help him improve the criminal justice system along with help our country.  When you served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia from 2009-2015, I really appreciated on how you were a strong supporter of Civil Rights by advocating for people with disabilities’ rights, prosecuting people who commit hate-crime against minorities including people who are different, and investigating public places that practiced discrimination.  Your approach on criminal justice reform like expanding drug treatment programs to help drug-users get the care they need to reduce drug-abuse,  supporting expanding funds for forensic science including DNA testing to help solve cases efficiently while reduce sending an innocent person to jail,  working with law enforcement resources to improve programs to help victims of domestic violence or victims of crime get help on reducing their trauma, and expressing the need for the criminal justice system to reduce racial profiling to help protect minorities including immigrants from being oppressed is common sense. Another thing that I liked about your work as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia is how you prosecuted industries or companies that violated environmental protection laws to help protect the environment while improve public health, went after financial companies including health care insurance companies that committed fraud, and launched investigations in public officials who were corrupt or accepted illegal bribes.   After you left your role as U.S. Attorney, I was very proud on how you worked with your law firm Hunton & Williams and the City of Charlottesville to conduct an independent review to see the city’s response to the three separate white supremacist events in the city to find ways on how to improve public safety to protect people who are different or minorities from being targeted by white supremacist,  how the police should be protective of people from being harmed, and expressing the need to strengthen laws to combat against hate-crime.

Attorney Heaphy, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advance subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts, and get teased. Your commitment to be a strong supporter of Civil Rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability.  Also I read your independent review that you worked and I enjoyed reading some of it because it did a great job emphasizing the need to protect people who are different including minorities, a strong importance of combating against hate-crime, and many others. Your role as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia gives me motivation to continue to learn history with social justice.  My future goal is to someday work in these areas to help emphasize the need for Civil Rights to be stronger, protect the environment, and have criminal justice reform.

I strongly believe that you made a great difference when you served as U.S. Attorney. I’m very proud on how you worked hard to support Civil Rights, push for criminal justice reform, and many others.  Also l especially like on how you work really hard on launching independent review  to help give feedback on how to improve public safety.  You have inspired me to work hard on my disability and to continue to learn different subjects like history with social justice.  I was wondering if you could please explain what it was like doing an independent review of the City of Charlottesville and explain your highlights of being a U.S. Attorney.  Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, doing an excellent job making a great difference, and inspiring me. I wish you the best to continue to make a great difference for society with common sense ideas.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick