CRS Accomplishments, 2021-24

In the past four years, CRS has reached new levels of accomplishment in helping communities resolve tensions and prevent hate crimes and other violence and destruction of property.  Experienced conciliators facilitated more than a hundred community dialogues and forums, including sessions focused on hate crimes and protecting places of worship—along with more than a hundred training programs and over a dozen formal mediation sessions.  From meeting community needs during the pandemic and keeping peace during the George Floyd murder trial to reducing the potential for school hate crimes and addressing campus tensions, CRS specialists helped communities across the country stay safer.
 

• Reducing Tensions and Preventing Hate Crimes: During the last four years, CRS facilitated more than a hundred community dialogues across the country, including more than 40 forums on bias incidents and hate crimes, and over 30 forums focused on protecting places of worship.  CRS conciliation specialists also facilitated more than a hundred training programs, and over a dozen formal mediation sessions.  And through weekly continued consultation sessions with community stakeholders across the country, CRS extended its expertise and support by sharing best practices, providing technical assistance, and supporting local leaders as they navigated the challenging terrain of community tension and hate crime prevention.
   
• Meeting Community Needs During the Pandemic:  To keep up with community requests for virtual services as the COVID pandemic continued, CRS developed innovative virtual versions of many of its key trainings—to help law enforcement officers engage with and build partnerships with Muslim Americans and Sikh Americans, help communities in conflict facilitate public meetings, train local event marshals to maintaining safety during public events, and offer programs to strengthen Police-Community Partnerships and foster constructive dialogues on race.
   
• Keeping Peace During the George Floyd Murder Trial:  In its largest deployment of 2021, CRS deployed twice to Minneapolis during the trial and sentencing of Derek Chauvin.  Despite the challenges of social distancing, CRS conciliators worked for months to build relationships with the community, facilitate dialogues, and lead trainings—then responded rapidly after the police shooting of Daunte Mr. Wright further increased community tensions.
   
• Responding to a Surge in Anti-AANHPI Bias Incidents and Hate Crimes: Amid a nationwide wave of bias incidents and hate crimes against Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), CRS provided assistance to AANHPI communities in 35 cases across seven states. CRS appointed a dedicated staff member for AANHPI issues to provide support across the regions, and developed a toolkit that leaders could use to develop contingency plans to respond to bias and hate incidents.
   
• Addressing Campus Tensions: CRS developed a new approach to its Dialogue on Race program to help students lead conversations on campus, worked with other DOJ agencies on special webinars to share resources with campus leaders, and collaborated with campus law enforcement and other stakeholders to prevent and respond to tensions, bias incidents, and hate crimes. CRS also updated its campus facilitated dialogue program and related materials to help campus communities collaboratively develop solutions to address the sources of tension and conflict.
   
• Helping Communities Keep Places of Worship Safe:  After a series of high-profile attacks and threats against places of worship, CRS sponsored numerous Protecting Places of Worship (PPOW) forums, virtually and in communities (including in Oak Creek, WI to mark the 10^th anniversary of a mass shooting at a Sikh Temple).  At these events, CRS brought together federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies with faith-based organizations to provide information and resources related to hate crime laws, active shooter situations, and physical security at religious buildings. The PPOW forums offered best practices to help communities protect places of worship against potential threats.
   
• Responding to the Police Shooting Death of Jayland Walker:  Days of protest followed the June 2022 death of Jayland Walker, a Black man who was killed by Akron, OH police officers who shot him more than 60 times after he failed to stop for an alleged traffic violation.  Days of protests followed.  CRS helped the police develop guidelines for conduct to maintain safety during demonstrations, facilitated dialogue between the police and local faith leaders, and provided event marshal training for public officials, the police, schools, civil rights organizations and clergy to help them safely prepare for upcoming protests.  CRS trained staff in the mayor’s office in facilitating community conflict, and helped launch dialogues between the mayor’s office, the City Council, local Black elected officials and community members. 
   
• United Against Hate Forums: CRS worked with U.S. Attorneys offices in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to pilot and expand United Against Hate community outreach programs—which connect federal, state, and local law enforcement with marginalized communities to build trusted alliances to encourage the reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents.  CRS helped plan and organize events, communicated with community partners, developed agendas, and provided presentations on how conciliation specialists can engage more closely with communities concerned about hate. 
   
• Reducing the Potential for School Hate Crimes by Building Trust and Safety:  At the request of dozens of schools dealing with racial and other tensions, CRS provided one of its most popular programs – “School-SPIRIT” events that engaged student leaders, school administrators, and other school community members in identifying issues impacting their school — and developing solutions to resolve them.  By challenging prejudices and fostering a culture of respect, these student-led initiatives give schools an essential tool to help prevent potential hate crimes.
   
• Easing Community Tensions Following the Shooting of Sonya Massey:  Local demonstrations and national reaction followed the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a Black woman, in her Sangamon County, Illinois home by a deputy sheriff.  As community tensions grew, CRS monitored local demonstrations, then proposed a listening session to help the community express its grief and complaints about the shooting and the local police.  The forum drew more than 500 participants, including the Mayor of Springfield, federal and state prosecutors, and local police and civil rights leaders. CRS facilitated a number of dialogues among the working group that grew out of the listening session, including discussions of police hiring and conduct.
   
• Reducing Conflict and Disorder at National Political Conventions:  During the 2024 Republican and Democratic conventions, CRS deployed teams to Milwaukee and Chicago to work with law enforcement, community groups, and protest groups to help reduce tension, prevents violent clashes, and ensure the safety and free exercise of First Amendment rights for the demonstrators.  Fourteen CRS conciliators who served on the RNC-DNC Deployment Team were given the Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding External Contributions.
   

Additional information about the Community Relations Service’s work with communities facing hate crimes, discrimination, and conflict based on race, religion, and other protected characteristics is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crs. Communities and organizations interested in CRS services may contact askCRS@usdoj.gov or contact your local CRS office for more information.