While national politics is engendering increased distrust of government and political violence, local governments are finding new routes for de-escalation, civility, and problem-solving. Violence should never be tolerated, whether it’s political or not, nor should we capitalize on violent acts to limit free speech. While cities are still working to find a perfect formula for peaceful politics, they are where these challenges must be confronted, and where new approaches are showing real potential for keeping politics constructive.
Political violence is often an extreme form of expression involving perpetrators that don’t feel heard or connected to their communities. In cases like this we should ask ourselves why other means of expression are not sufficient and what inspires people to take action in this form.
This is where community engagement can play a role, in creating opportunities for expression and listening that can dissuade some people from disruptive or even violent actions. A strong civic infrastructure in which people feel heard, feel a sense of agency, and have a sense of belonging can foster a more peaceful, constructive civic life.
Unfortunately, as shown in the article in this newsletter about a survey by ActiVote, most people do not feel heard or have a sense of belonging.
In response, many cities and counties have implemented strategies for civic engagement to help all residents have a voice in civic affairs and feel a sense of belonging and even pride. This is much of what we promote at the National Civic League, including providing tools and ideas for innovative forms of engagement and ways to make public meetings more productive. It’s also the theme for next year’s All-America City Award, Strengthening Civic Health and Building Trust.
There are also some new tools out for addressing violence directly, including a report by the Bridging Divides Institute on the “de-escalation ecosystem” referencing the many organizations and initiatives working in the field. In addition, the National Institute on Civil Discourse is leading an effort to combat political violence called “Better than This.” Finally, the United Against Hate Week is coming up, October 19-25, and is recruiting many organizations and communities to take part.
Finally, as noted above, we must not let violent acts alter our commitment to free speech. It was Niccolo Machiavelli who first said, “never waste an opportunity offered by a good crisis,” a saying that was used again much later by FDR to promote the New Deal. While politicians, including myself, have used this mantra to justify a variety of initiatives, recent acts of violence against political thinkers and government agents should not justify moves to trample free speech any more than in past years, during which both parties have sought to limit this freedom in response to violent incidents and crises.
