How we react to political violence matters for Minnesota’s future
Political violence is never acceptable That should be obvious it IS obvious but moments like this weekend remind us why we have to keep saying it No matter where you live or what political beliefs you hold reasonable people agree Democracy can t function if threats and violence become part of society provision Although the physical violence has ended and the assailant has been captured this circumstance isn t quite over yet and for multiple of us it will never be Grief and fear are still with us Taking time to process is the responsible and respectful thing to do And through our grief we can t help but think about what comes next The rush to react is over but that doesn t mean our desire to make sense of it is What happens now the way we talk about this crime the way we process it the choices we make will shape our future This is when we show what we really stand for What comes next is going to be hard But it s kind of like physical therapy getting better is going to be painful but avoiding the work will only diminish our quota I ve been encouraged by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle calling for a de-escalation of rhetoric and a large number of Minnesotans are taking their own efforts to bring down the temperature and exhibit extra kindness right now Not everyone will rise to the occasion of program There are people who will say stupid things specific by honest mistake several out of ignorance and yes several out of malice So don t engage with agitators and social media trolls but try to assume positive intent with the people you know personally Give each other grace as we re going to need it Related Amid political violence right-wing influencers coughed out disinformation Most of importantly let the justice system do its job Due process exists for a reason and we must trust that accountability will come through the right channels Shannon Watson In moments like this the instinct to assign blame is understandable and natural It s easy to point fingers at an entire group when one of its members acts destructively but that kind of broad blame isn t fair or productive No movement party religion society affiliation or ideology should be judged solely by the worst actions of a single individual and reacting that way only deepens division instead of getting to the root of problems It builds walls when we should be building bridges A strong democracy isn t one without conflict it s one where people handle conflict without tearing each other apart Political violence thrives when fear takes over and turns people against each other instead of turning to solutions Moments like this shape the future Let s make sure we re building the kind of future we in fact want to live in The post How we react to political violence matters for Minnesota s future appeared first on MinnPost
