Resources: Consultation, mediation, and training service offered without charge
Available nationally:
Community Relations Service in the U.S. Department of Justice[1]
CONTACT | Phone: 202.305.2935 | Email: askcrs@usdoj.gov
Since 1964, CRS has served “as ‘America’s Peacemaker’ for communities facing conflict based on actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability. CRS works toward its mission by providing facilitated dialogue, mediation, training, and consultation to assist these communities to come together, develop solutions to the conflict, and enhance their capacity to independently prevent and resolve future conflict.
“All CRS services are confidential and provided on a voluntary basis, free of charge to the communities. CRS is not an investigatory or prosecutorial agency and does not have any law enforcement authority. CRS works with all parties to develop solutions to conflict and serves as a neutral party.”
Bridge Initiative of the Divided Community Project, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
CONTACT | Bill Froehlich, Director, Divided Community Project, Email: Froehlich.28@osu.edu | Website: https://go.osu.edu/dcp
“Upon request and at no cost, mediators and other experts with extensive experience in helping local leaders respond effectively to civil unrest and tension in communities across the country can help mediate conflicts between community and law enforcement, train local community members on effective strategies to keep protests safe, and offer technical assistance to executives and community members seeking to build sustainable infrastructure for broad engagement.”
Available within their states:
California Civil Rights Department’s Community Conflict Resolution Unit
CONTACT: Email: CCRU@calcivilrights.ca.gov, Website: https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/disputeresolution/community-conflict-services/
“The [CCRU] works with communities, and/or local and state public bodies to constructively manage or resolve conflict, minimize or eliminate the potential for violence, reduce or eliminate antagonism within communities, or help them reach mutually acceptable outcomes.”
Michigan Department of Civil Rights Community Engagement
CONTACT: Charles Schoder, Director, Phone: 313-456-3740 | Email: schoderc@michigan.gov, Website: https://www.michigan.gov/mdcr/divisions/community-engagement
“The [Crisis Response Team] initiates proactive measures and acts as needed to diffuse situations of community tension and unrest, and to assure that all people enjoy equal rights under the law. To carry out its responsibility, the Department monitors incidents involving race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, and other civil rights-related matters.” The office offers related training.
Minnesota Office of Collaboration and Dispute Resolution, Department of Administration
CONTACT: Katie Pratt, Director, Email: katie.pratt@state.mn.us | website: https://mn.gov/admin/ocdr/
“The Office of Collaboration and Dispute Resolution (OCDR) supports collaboration and dispute resolution across Minnesota through casework, training and capacity-building, distributing community mediation grants, and building the conflict resolution field. Learn more about us and what we do using the categories listed below.”
New Jersey Division on Civil Rights Community Relations Unit
CONTACT: Patricia D. Williamson, Director of Outreach and Community Relations, Email: patricia.williamson@njcivilrights.gov |website: https://www.njoag.gov/about/divisions-and-offices/division-on-civil-rights-home/division-on-civil-rights-about/our-work/community-relations-unit/
“The Community Relations Unit seeks to proactively prevent acts of discrimination and bias-based harassment through education and inclusive community engagement and to work directly with impacted communities after civil rights incidents occur.”
Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission Civil Rights Outreach Coordinators (CROCs)
CONTACT: Sheryl Meck, Civil Rights Outreach Coordinator Director, Civil Rights Division, Email: shmeck@pa.gov | website: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/phrc/programs-and-services/civil-rights-division.html
“Providing complex facilitation and conflict resolution services for communities facing conflicts and tensions related to race, color, religious creed, ancestry, age, sex, LGBTQ+ status, gender, national origin, familial status, or disability status pursuant to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act.”
State-level resources for preventive work and responses to hate and discrimination:
Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes
CONTACT: Elana G. Kahn, Executive Director, Email: elana.kahn@illinois.gov | website: https://cdhc.illinois.gov/
“The Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crime’s mission is to identify and uproot sources of discrimination and bias at the source, while assisting with the development of resources, training, and information that allow for a swift and efficient response to hate-motivated crimes and incidents.”
New York NYS Hate and Bias Prevention Unit, a Program of the New York State Division of Human Rights
CONTACT: Jessica Baen, Executive Director, Email: jessica.baen@dhr.ny.gov | website: https://dhr.ny.gov/nohate
“Under Governor Kathy Hochul’s leadership, the New York State Division of Human Rights (DHR) launched the Hate and Bias Prevention Unit (HBPU) in December 2022 to help communities combat prejudice and discrimination. HBPU’s mission is focused around three key initiatives: a statewide network of Regional Councils, Youth Initiatives, and a Response Team.”
University-based programs:
Bridging Divides Initiative, Princeton University
BDI does research on political violence and offers a state-by-state guide to trainers in de-escalation, bystander intervention, and conflict resolution.
Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration, University of Massachusetts, Boston
CONTACT: Susan Jeghelian, Executive Director, Email: susan.jeghelian@umb.edu | website: https://www.umb.edu/mopc/
“MOPC, [an applied research center and the statutory state dispute resolution office,] administers conflict resolution programs, builds collaborative capacity within public entities, convenes dispute resolution and public engagement processes, and teaches collaborative governance approaches to tackle complex policy challenges.”
Oregon Consensus, Mark O. Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University
CONTACT: Robin Harkless, Director, hrobin@pdx.edu | website: https://oregonconsensus.org/
“Our team of expert mediators and facilitators works throughout Oregon to: assess conflict situations to determine readiness for a consensus seeking approach to resolving an issue; design and facilitate processes that bring decision makers and affected groups to the table for shared learning and co-development of solutions; help groups deliberate to build consensus and support sound decisions; and help groups document their recommendations or agreements for future action.”
At the local level:
Community mediation programs often have mediators experienced in promoting discussions among groups of people and may offer training. A search function of the National Association for Community Mediation, NAFCM, allows a search for a local community mediation program. The local bar association may also have a list of mediators and their experience levels, though private practitioners typically will charge fees.
- At the time of publication, there was a U.S. Department of Justice proposal to discontinue CRS. ↵
