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Divided Community Project: Co city Resiliency Initiative — Case S <br />Rochester's -Community Response Team <br />This case study tracks the evolution of Rochester's Community Response Team (CRT). <br />The CRT is an initiative proposed by a group of community leaders in positions that <br />provide opportunity to address systemic disparities. These volunteers organized <br />under the auspices of "Unite Rochester" and worked to promote communication, trust, <br />community education, and a positive, non-violent plan to respond to events or issues of <br />race and racism. The CRT will also engage in activities to raise awareness about race <br />and racism, and inspire a more inclusive and creative approach to solving community <br />problems. <br />INITIATIVE — grounded in collaboration <br />CRT is a spin-off of "Unite Rochester", a collaborative effort spearheaded in 2012 by the <br />Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, which was designed to <br />1. Raise awareness about racial inequities. <br />2. Help facilitate community conversations about race. <br />3. Encourage more inclusive problem -solving and effect positive change. <br />Unite Rochester began after a conversation over hot chocolate and donuts where <br />Jim Lawrence, the Democrat and Chronicle's editorial page editor, reached out to <br />the Rochester Center for Dispute Settlement (The Center) to develop a collaborative <br />effort around structural and systemic racism lingering in the greater Rochester area. <br />The Democrat and Chronicle's opinion page captured the vision and mission of Unite <br />Rochester: <br />INITIATIVE <br />ASSEMBLE <br />ASSESS <br />PLAN <br />"For months now, dozens of leaders in our community have been <br />volunteering their time to tackle the taxing problems associated with <br />race and poverty... all of Unite Rochester volunteers recognize that <br />we can't go this way —two Rochesters divided by the haves and have <br />nots. 99 <br />— James F. Lawrencel <br />Unite Rochester charged the Center with creating a safe environment for a Greater Rochester listening tour on race and <br />poverty. Unite Rochester's listening tour was a forum for difficult conversations, an opportunity for residents "who normally <br />wouldn't be able to talk to one another to sit down an engage in a discussion about racial issues:' To support candid <br />participation the newspaper agreed not to report on what was said during listening sessions. <br />0 THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY ® <br />MORITZ COLLEGE OF LAW FOU NDAT ION1" <br />4_ <br />4A- <br />uilti e <br />ROCHESTER <br />