to engender effective communication between the parties through mediation.

The Rocky Mountain Region responded to unexpected and planned special events. These events included the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day in Denver, Colorado as well as the Columbus Day protests in Pueblo. CRS has been proactive in forming a first-ever human relations commission on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation. During 1998, the Rocky Mountain Region has also been involved-in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney's Office-in law enforcement hate crime training in the Rocky Mountain area. School safety and conflict resolution training has also been developed for use in the Region. *

Region IX-Western Region

In the Western Region, California has the largest and most racially and ethnically diverse population of any State in the Nation, with minorities comprising the majority of inhabitants. Hispanics have moved into communities that were once predominantly African American or White, and Asians are moving into once predominantly Hispanic communities. These changing demographics heightened conflicts between diverse racial and ethnic groups in the State. For example, in 1997, violent acts occurred between Somali refugees and African American students on two secondary school campuses in San Diego. Similarly in Los Angeles, conflicts erupted between White Russians, Ethiopians, Sudanese, and Somali refugees who moved into predominantly, Black and Hispanic communities. School officials and law enforcement agencies called on CRS to help address situations of racial conflict, develop strategies for reducing racial tensions, and institute mediation capabilities among school personnel and students. CRS has continued to provide multicultural schools with SPIRIT activities to both prevent and resolve student conflicts.

Hate crimes in California are on the rise, reflecting increased activity by racial gangs and White Supremacist groups. The Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission received reports of 820 hate crimes in 1997, more than in any single year of the past two decades except 1996. African Americans were the most targeted group, followed by Whites, Latinos, and Asian-Pacific Americans. The pattern of activity in predominantly White communities involves extremist White hate groups targeting minority residents and racially mixed families. In mixed neighborhoods, gangs organized along racial lines target other gangs or