Justice Connection today released a video calling on the Justice Department to restore its Community Relations Service (CRS), a decades-old unit that de-escalated civil rights conflicts until the Trump Administration shut it down last year.
The video features Julius Nam, who spent 10 years at the department – most recently with CRS. After federal immigration officers killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti, protests erupted and trust in institutions fractured. That is exactly the kind of moment CRS was built for.
“Since 1964, CRS has existed for moments like the one we are seeing in Minneapolis,” Nam says in the video. “When tensions are high, mistrust is deep, and a city needs professional, neutral mediators to manage conflict and keep lines of communication open.”
CRS mediators were critical to preserving peace and interrupting spirals of violence after George Floyd’s death in 2020. They brought Minneapolis law enforcement and community leaders together to share information, jointly stop misinformation from spreading, and develop strategies to keep budding conflicts from turning deadly. Law enforcement officials and community leaders alike praised the impartiality and trustworthiness of CRS mediators.
“CRS has been called America’s peacemaker for good reason,” Nam says. “Had DOJ not closed CRS, our mediators and conciliators would have been available to help de-escalate violent confrontations in Minneapolis. Facilitating constructive communication among police, activists, clergy, and neighborhood leaders with one goal: Peace.”
Last year, the Justice Department dismantled CRS and reportedly moved its functions into the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, keeping one CRS employee and issuing reduction-in-force notices to its remaining employees. While the department has since rescinded some notices amid pending litigation, none of those who have reported to work are performing duties previously conducted by CRS.
“If DOJ leadership is serious about public safety and working with communities to prevent violence, it should start by restoring what it dismantled,” Nam says in the video. “A fully revived and staffed CRS is what Minneapolis and cities across America need to help lower the temperature, rebuild trust, and support lasting peace.”
For more information about CRS, see Justice Connection’s Substack post by three of its previous directors.
This video is the second in a series of Minnesota-related videos that are part of an ongoing effort by Justice Connection to draw public attention to DOJ’s abdication of its vital role in holding federal law enforcement accountable in Minnesota, as well as to provide direct support to Justice Department employees affected by the administration’s actions.
