By Teri Reitan, Alliance Business Program Director
Once again, shootings in the US are dominating the news and social media — along with the political tensions surrounding them. The shooting by a left-leaning Californian outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this past weekend was disturbing on multiple levels, not least because it reinforced a growing fear among many Americans: violence is becoming more common, and too little is being done to stop it.
I want to share some of the steps we can all take to stop the violence, but first we need to look at the latest attempt at mass violence to see how it was used by all sides in order to more fully understand the underlying problem.
A Tragedy Offers a Moment of Solidarity, Too Soon to Become More Polarization
It was uplifting to see how Democrats, Republicans and Independents all came together in the immediate aftermath of the horrific shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, along with the journalists and media who so often critique them. It was one of those hopeful moments in time when a common threat brought all sides together.
However, that moment was way too short-lived, as all sides seemed to use the same threat as an excuse to push their own agenda or denigrate the other side. The President used it to emphasize the need for his long-prized ballroom. Republicans also claimed this was proof of a violent extremist left wing.
Most Democrats called for an end to gun violence, but a few made the conspiracy claim that this was all a hoax created by Trump to boost his poll numbers. Independents and journalists said it was finally time to lower the temperature. Meanwhile, social media went berserk with demonization across the spectrum.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all come together to tamp down the name calling and conspiracy theories to overcome the divisions and find common ground to actually move forward? We can.
Sadly, These Menacing Currents of Polarization Are Not New
Now that we’ve gotten some of the finger-pointing and conspiracy theories out of the way, it’s time we acknowledge this pattern is not new. Textbooks on social deviance were warning decades ago that violence would rise as each new generation grew up with a higher “normal” level of violence. This is not a one-cause problem. It is a layered crisis with multiple root causes — something explored in prior articles in our Overcoming Uncivil Wars series.
Today, one of the clearest accelerants is political polarization. The Republican and Democratic parties remain deeply divided – both within and between. While both sides speak about the need to reduce violence (whether physical or verbal, as emphasized by Non-Violent Communication), they continue to use inciting rhetoric while sharply disagreeing on causes, responsibility and solutions. That divide leaves the country either stuck in reaction mode or total disengagement, rather than serious problem-solving.
If the goal is to reverse the trajectory of violence, the country needs more than talking points. It needs bipartisan willingness to examine root causes, weigh evidence and pursue a series of practical measures that can begin to reduce violence in meaningful ways.
Independent Voters Are Sending a Message – Find Common Sense Solutions
At the same time, the political ground is shifting. A Gallup poll found in January 2026 that a record 45% of Americans now identify as politically independent. That number alone should be a warning to both major parties. People are increasingly fed up and no longer want to be part of either party.
The data suggest growing dissatisfaction with the current political climate. Many voters appear weary of rigid party loyalty, scorched-earth rhetoric and the constant pressure to choose sides in a culture of extremes. Whether or not all of those independents are ideological moderates, the trend points to a public increasingly alienated by polarization.
That shift raises important questions. Will the major parties respond by moving toward a more constructive center? Will lawmakers listen to constituents who are signaling fatigue with division? Or will they remain more responsive to the pressure of party machinery, ideological activists and political theater?
Those questions matter because polarization is not just damaging public trust, but also weakening the government’s ability to govern. Constant accusations, partisan framing and political opportunism are making it harder for elected leaders to do the jobs they were sent to do — and easier for voters to distrust nearly everything they hear.
Minnesota Knows the Cost of Violence All Too Well
Minnesota has felt this reality acutely and in this case it came from the political right. Last year, former MN House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were assassinated by a former businessman turned evangelical, right-wing shooting suspect in a targeted attack that sent shockwaves through the state.
He also shot MN Senator John Hoffman and his wife. In his car, the shooter had a long list of other Democratic elected leaders supporting reproductive rights who were his next targets. It was a chilling reminder that political violence is present on the left and right and must be addressed.
Minnesotans have been under assault by the Administration sending in massive numbers of ICE and Border Patrol agents, leading to the murder of American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti. This has caused fear, deep tension and trauma in the community.
Although shaken, frustrated and exhausted, the community has come together to counter the assault and force the administration to pull out its surge. It brought together groups and political leaders who often vehemently disagreed with each other in a show of unity. Ironically, the Trump Administration’s outrageous actions actually created a growing, diverse movement and a sense of both MN pride and a powerful force for positive change.
The Growing Need for Shared Solutions
There are signs — however early — that the public appetite for strict party-line division is weakening. More Americans appear to be looking for leaders who can de-escalate, collaborate, and govern, even across the political aisle.
Record numbers of independent voters are sending a blunt message: tone down the polarization, do the work and solve real problems together.
Some public voices are reflecting that need, such as Republican Utah Gov Spencer Cox. Erika Kirk, widow of assassinated Charlie Kirk, spoke about the need to come together and tone things down at her husband’s funeral. However, right after her, President Trump said he disagreed and how much he hated his “enemies.” Sadly, several days later even she joined the fray.
Many Democratic leaders have pleaded for toning down the rhetoric, and Former President Obama called for greater civility and unity in public life.
The need for positive, respectful dialogue is worth taking seriously. Political violence doesn’t just begin in campaign rhetoric or legislative chambers. It also starts at home — in the values we model, the prejudices we leave unchallenged, and the ways we teach children to respond to difference, disagreement and anger.
As Americans, we have an opportunity — and a responsibility — to re-examine our own prejudices and values that we’re passing to the next generation.
Unity, collaboration and meeting in the middle are not signs of weakness. They are foundational democratic skills. In a nation that literally calls itself the United States of America, the need to recover those skills is urgent.
While much of the public may be moving to the middle, most votes are on strict party lines. Clearly, we need to do more.
What We as American Citizens Can Do Right Now
If we want less violence and political toxicity, we can’t wait for elected officials to act, because they’re too locked into a rigid funding and party system. So, it’s up to us to act now. Here are just some of the steps we can each take. We can:
- Contact lawmakers and demand serious action to reduce political tensions and gun violence.
- Insist on less inflammatory rhetoric and more bipartisan problem-solving.
- Refuse to spread conspiracies, dehumanizing language or political hatred online.
- Support violence-prevention, mental-health and community-based healing efforts.
- Model civility in our own homes, schools, workplaces and neighborhoods.
The point is not passive hope. It is active citizenship. This is not a time to be proud of being apolitical. Why? Every act of de-escalation matters. Each refusal to inflame makes a difference. And so does every effort to listen, collaborate and protect human dignity.
America does not need more resignation. We need courage, urgency and a public willing to demand better — from leaders, from institutions and from ourselves.