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About CRS

Our Mission: America's Peacemaker

For over 60 years, CRS has been “America’s Peacemaker.” CRS responds to communities experiencing conflict and violence to help restore peaceful relations. Guided by federal laws establishing jurisdictions, CRS assists communities through facilitated dialogue, mediation, training, and consultation to overcome differences and build the skills needed to prevent future disputes.

All CRS services are confidential and provided free of charge to the communities that voluntarily request or accept CRS’s assistance. CRS is not an investigatory or prosecutorial agency and has no law enforcement authority. CRS works with all parties to develop solutions to conflict and serves as a neutral, impartial party.
 

Our Jurisdiction

Title X of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, established the Community Relations Service with the mandate to offer “conciliation assistance” to communities where “ disputes, disagreements, or difficulties” threaten “peaceful relations among the citizens of the community involved” regarding “discriminatory practices based on race, color, or national origin.”

The Fair Housing Act of 1968, also signed by President Johnson, built upon the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and mandated the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to work with CRS “to further its activities in preventing or eliminating discriminatory housing practices.” The FHA was amended in 1988 and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan to add concrete enforcement measures to HUD’s complaint process and provided additional protections against unfair treatment in housing.

To address a sharp rise in attacks on places of worship, Congress passed the Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996 to remove legal barriers to prosecution for “violent interference of religious worship” and damage to religious property. Signed into law by President Bill Clinton, this act directed additional resources specifically to CRS to bring together communities affected by arson, firebombing, and other forms of hate-motivated attacks.

In 2008, the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush to allow for investigation and prosecution of unsolved civil rights era homicides. CRS received funding under this law to work with law enforcement agencies and communities affected by the homicides.  In 2016, the Emmett Till Act was reauthorized and signed into law by President Barack Obama. The 2016 text expanded the scope of investigation and mandated CRS to continue to “bring together law enforcement agencies and communities to address tensions raised by Civil Rights era crimes.”

The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, signed by President Obama, expanded the federal definition of hate crimes and increased funding for CRS to “prevent and respond to alleged violations” of this act that cause, threaten to cause, or attempt to cause bodily injury to persons protected by this statute.