We all can help stop political violence
“I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.” — Mahatma Gandhi
By far, the last couple presidential elections have been the most violent of my lifetime.
And it’s only getting worse.
On Sept. 15, the Secret Service opened fire at one of Donald Trump’s golf courses after spotting the barrel of a gun poking through a fence several hundred yards away from the former president, who was playing on the course. The suspected gunman had apparently been able to hide at the golf course for 12 hours with an AK-47-style rifle before the Secret Service spotted him.
No one was hurt in that incident and the suspected gunman was arrested, but Sept. 15’s apparent assassination attempt follows the July 13 shooting at a Trump rally in which one spectator died, two were seriously injured, and the former president took a bullet through the ear before the Secret Service killed the shooter.
Also recently, state elections officials and others in six states — Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Tennessee, Wyoming, and Oklahoma — received suspicious packages containing white powder.
While the powder turned out to be harmless, the packages caused multiple evacuations and follows a similar incident last November that delayed the counting of votes.
The violence extends beyond incidents making headlines.
Threats against congressional lawmakers have spiked 300% in seven years, according to one of four lawmakers trying to push a constitutional amendment that would outline a succession plan in the case of a mass-casualty attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Between August 2022 and April 2024, 17% of elected officials in local governments around the country said they’d been threatened in the previous three months, and 34% said they’d been harassed, according to surveys conducted through Yale University’s Bridging Divides Initiative.
Because of those threats and that harassment, 41% of those local elected officials said they’re less willing to work on controversial topics, 39% said they’re less willing to run for reelection, and 34% said they’re less willing to participate in events in public spaces.
In short, political violence already is cowing those entrusted to make our democracy work, and it’s hard to say what might happen if things keep getting worse.
Thankfully, we each have the power to help stem the rising tide of hate.
To begin with, follow the old adage telling us to say something if we see something.
If one of your friends, acquaintances, or social media connections starts saying or doing things that raise your eyebrows, don’t be afraid to alert police. It’s better for law enforcement to look into something that turns out to be nothing than to not look and have the worst happen.
Secondly, turn down your own volume.
Those who commit or threaten acts of violence tend to get radicalized by incendiary rhetoric, so don’t engage in incendiary rhetoric. Support your candidates, talk about the good you think they’ll do if they get into office. But we have to stop turning the “other side” into monsters. Political opponents need to be outvoted. Monsters need to be slain.
Thirdly, demand your political leaders do the same.
Would-be violence-makers are far more likely to see CNN or Fox News than your Facebook feed. If this country’s political leaders and other talking heads spew vile things on TV, that’s more likely to rile up some of the millions of viewers at home. Don’t let them get away with it. Write their offices and politely ask them to stay civil. If they can’t stay civil, reconsider your support of them.
Fourthly, ask and listen more than you tell and speak.
All around, we need more understanding in this world, and we need to start seeing each other as humans again. That happens by hearing what we each have to say. So, before you type out a bilious response to something someone says on X, ask the author of that post why they feel the way they do, what in their background led them to that belief, and how they think the things they support would better their lives and yours.
Fifthly, spread the truth.
Made-up and exaggerated political claims are usually, by design, more likely to enflame people. It’s also hard to undo someone’s convictions once they believe a lie. So make sure you spread the truth. Before you hit “share,” check the things you see online against reliable sources (such as newspapers and fact-checkers).
Finally, support mental health treatments and programs.
One common denominator across many — not all, but many — perpetrators of violence is mental illness. This nation needs to do a far better job treating mental illness, and you can help by supporting candidates who support things like adding more counselors and therapists to the workforce, funding school counselors, training law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges to safely deal with people experiencing a mental health crisis, and funding mental health hospitals.
The outcome of November’s presidential election will be hotly contested. We could see a repeat of the excessive violence that accompanied the 2020 contest.
We — you, me, all of us — need to do our part now to dial things back and calm things down to make sure everyone makes it safely into 2025.
– The Alpena News