The Community Relations Service (CRS) helps local communities resolve serious racial and ethnic conflicts and helps communities prevent and respond to alleged violent hate crimes committed on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or disability. Its services are provided to local officials and community leaders by trained federal mediators on a voluntary and cost-free basis. The kinds of assistance available from CRS include mediation of disputes and conflicts, training in conflict resolution skills, and help in developing ways to prevent and resolve conflicts.
The Community Relations Service provides its services to local communities when there are serious community conflicts or violence based on racial or ethnic issues. Pursuant to the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, CRS also works with communities to employ strategies to prevent and respond to alleged violent hate crimes committed on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or disability. CRS services are provided on a voluntary and confidential basis, and are conducted according to provisions in Title X of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Most of CRS' work comes from requests by police chiefs, mayors, school superintendents, and other local and State authorities. They ask CRS to help when there is serious community racial conflict or in the aftermath of an alleged violent hate crime or an incident that left unaddressed may lead to a violent hate crime on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability. People request CRS’ services when they believe that impartial mediators from CRS can help calm tensions, prevent violence, and get people talking again. CRS works in all 50 states, and in communities large and small, rural, suburban, and urban.
Trained impartial CRS conflict resolution specialists are stationed in 10 Regional and 4 Field offices across the county. They are available on a 24-hour basis. They follow established and standardized procedures in conducting their work. For each situation, CRS will first assess the situation, which includes hearing everyone's perspective. After gaining a good understanding of the situation, CRS will fashion an agreement among local officials and leaders on the services CRS will provide to help resolve the conflict or prevent further violence.
Most of the work involves situations where there is racial conflict or violence involving police agencies or schools or communities struggling to recover in the aftermath of an alleged violent hate crime committed on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, religion, disability, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. The most volatile situations CRS responds to are negative reactions to incidents involving police use of force, the staging of major demonstrations and counter events, major school disruptions, and organized hate crime activities.
CRS provides its services when it is asked by local authorities and officials to help. They may decline our services at any time. Since CRS mediators are not funded by sources other than Federal funds, they are able to ensure their neutrality in helping to resolve conflicts, especially those which involve local and State agencies. CRS is an integral component of the Justice Department's mission to help State and local governments prevent violence and promote public safety.
CRS mediators carry no guns or badges and cannot file law suits. Nevertheless, they represent the Department of Justice in one of its most important missions - providing assistance and support to State and local authorities in their efforts to prevent violence and resolve destructive conflicts. As representatives of the Department of Justice, CRS mediators have the credibility and trust to work effectively with people on all sides of the conflict.
CRS success is best measured by the level of satisfaction among those who receive CRS services. Police chiefs, Governors, Mayors, school superintendents, and others praise CRS for its effectiveness. Whenever possible, CRS will contact local officials to review how well agreements are holding, whether violence has abated, and if tensions remain low. An internal reporting system registers outcomes and accomplishments for each CRS case activity.
Today, CRS mediators are called on to help resolve conflicts involving a wider range of racial and ethnic issues. Conflicts and violence is no longer Black and white, but may involve new immigrants, Native Americans, Central Americans, and others. With the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in October of 2009, community leaders and law enforcement and government officials also call on CRS to help them develop the capacity to prevent and respond more effectively to violent hate crimes allegedly committed on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, religion, disability, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
With passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, CRS is authorized to work with communities to employ strategies to prevent and respond to alleged violent hate crimes committed on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or disability in addition to continuing to employ strategies to prevent and respond to community tension relating to alleged discrimination and violent hate crimes on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, or national origin.
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Grande H. Lum |
Director, Community Relations Service |
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Community Relations Service |
(202) 305-2935 |
