Support for CRS Across the Nation
Broad national concern has emerged in response to the dismantling of the Community Relations Service. Local governments, civil rights organizations, dialogue networks, and members of Congress have issued public statements underscoring the essential role CRS plays in community safety and conflict resolution. These leaders have urged the Department of Justice and Congress to restore the agency’s staffing and capacity so it can continue fulfilling its statutory mission.
Congressional Support for CRS
“For more than six decades, Congress has funded and supported the agency and its vital peacemaking mission. Trump and Bondi do not have the authority to dismantle it by executive fiat, and their effort to do is a blatant violation of law and usurpation of congressional authority.” (Press Release)
Letter from 105 Members of the Congressional Equality Caucus to DOJ • Nov. 24, 2025
“The dismantling of CRS is not only unlawful, it is also particularly concerning given the rise in community unrest, where CRS’s peacebuilding and mediation services would play a vital role.”
Letter from Sen. Chris Van Hollen to DOJ • Sept. 24, 2025
Elimination of CRS is among DOJ’s “most objectionable” actions. CRS “has been existence for over 60 years and is funded in the fiscal year 2026 Senate mark [for $22 million].”
Rep. Jamie Raskin • June 24, 2025
The administration “illegally gutted” CRS, “a crucial tool for countering hate crimes by working directly with communities around the country.”
Statement by Rep. Grace Meng • Sept. 10, 2025
Objecting that CRS, “which for more than 60 years has worked honorably to help mediate and end community conflicts across our country, is eliminated.”
Letter from 26 Members of Congress to DOJ • May 6, 2025
“The work of the conciliation specialists as ‘peacemakers’ is unique and cannot be easily replicated or undertaken by another department.”
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi • Apr. 6, 2025
“At a time when hate crimes and community tensions are on the rise, reducing support for this essential office [CRS] would be a grave mistake.”
FY 2026 Senate Appropriations Committee’s Commerce-Justice-Science Bill Providing $22 Million for CRS • July 17, 2025
“The Committee appreciates the work of the Community Relations Service . . . to enforce the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (Public Law 111–84).”
“The CRS is encouraged to partner with and support community-based organizations when possible in order to better support community-based peacebuilding and violence prevention efforts. . . . This funding will maximize the CRS crisis response nationwide and enable CRS to fulfill both its original mandate and expanded mandate under the HCPA.” (Committee Report)
Support From Civil Rights Organizations, Community Advocates, & Public Officials
“As a trusted, neutral resource that community members and government officials alike rely upon during crises to protect vulnerable populations, CRS stands apart in the scope of services it provides to those most in need, including communities of color and other historically marginalized communities, religious groups, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and students. Shuttering CRS, as DOJ illegally did as of October 31, 2025, stands to harm the very populations that Congress sought to protect.”
“Local Police Lament Dismantling of DOJ ‘Peacemakers’ Service” | Bloomberg Law News • July 17, 2025
Pam Peoples-Joyner, the community engagement director for the Winston-Salem, North Carolina police department: “I can’t even imagine life without CRS.”
Noel March, former chief of police for the University of Maine and former US Marshal in Maine: “My reaction was disappointment, and also a sense of profound irony. We’re now about to lose a little-known but valuable resource through defunding. It’s vicarious defunding of the police.”
Rick Myers, former police chief in Sanford, Florida: “They [CRS mediators] could walk that tight rope between formal institutional bodies like the police department, like city government, and disenfranchised members of the community. Every time there was a gap, they’d lay down yet another section of bridge.”
Bob Troyer, the former US attorney in Colorado during the first Trump Administration: “Once a crisis has started, it’s too late to form the necessary relationships to solve it. We started at an eight instead of at a one because of CRS.”
“The Fall of DOJ’s Community Relations Service: A Dangerous Moment for Peace, Police and Communities” | Justice Connection • Dec. 2, 2025
“Discarding seasoned conciliators at this increasingly dangerous moment in our history increases the chance that community tensions will fester into a new generation of bloody streets, shattered storefront windows and civil rights violations.”
U.S. Conference of Mayors Resolution: Preventing & Responding to Hate Crimes • June 25, 2025
The Conference “urges the Administration and Congress to support and fund [CRS’s] essential work strengthening communities and building local resilience against hate and extremism.”
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (with 83 Groups): Hate Crimes Task Force Letter to the House • May 5, 2025
“The proposed elimination of CRS would be unlawful…. It is also shortsighted to eliminate a program that protects public safety and saves money.”
NAACP Calls for Maintenance of CRS • Apr. 7, 2025
“If [CRS is] gutted, we could witness a surge in disputes between police departments or city leaders and marginalized communities across the nation. From the brutal arrest of Rodney King to the killing of George Floyd, the Community Relations Service developed necessary relationships with community leaders and activists, equipping them with tools necessary to peacefully mediate disputes.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Colorado Holiday Commission Support for CRS • Oct. 23, 2025
Elimination of CRS would be “nothing short of a catastrophe—a move we cannot afford. CRS has been at the forefront of preventing conflicts, negotiating situations before they escalate into full-blown chaos. We have witnessed CRS defuse what would have been a riot or uprising where somebody could potentially be injured or killed.”
Statements of Lance FourStar, City of Wolf Point, MT, Councilman • Nov. 13, 2025
“[CRS] helped us keep the peace,” during a March Against Violence. “They have done quite a bit in the background,” to help curb human trafficking activity throughout the Fort Peck Reservation.