Over the last three years, Over Zero has undertaken extensive research regarding a "resilience-based" approach to preventing political and identity-based violence. Our findings are presented in "Building U.S. Resilience to Political Violence: A Globally Informed Framework for Research and Action," which we authored in partnership with New Models of Policy Change Initiative at New America. Both the summary and the full report can be found below. Building from this research, we also developed "Building a Resiliency Network: A toolkit for building community resilience during a contentious cycle" as a resource for leaders from all walks of life.
Building a Resiliency Network: Toolkit
As we enter into the most contentious election cycle in recent memory, set against the backdrop of an already tumultuous year, leaders from all walks of life will play a central role in building communities resilient to election violence – communities that are able to prevent, mitigate, and respond in the face of increased risk. As leaders prepare for this critical moment, we offer this toolkit to the broader toolbox of approaches for preventing election violence.
Summary: Building U.S. Resilience to Political Violence
The rise of violence and hate speech, the increase in public rhetoric that seems to condone if not encourage violence, and the declining legitimacy of U.S. democratic institutions are all well-documented. The 2019-2020 period brings a set of political and cultural events — including the run-up to a U.S. presidential election and census — that will likely further escalate tensions and increase the risk of violence and instability.
Full: Building U.S. Resilience to Political Violence
The United States has recently seen a rise in violence and hate speech, an increase in public rhetoric that seems to encourage violence, and a decline in the perceived legitimacy of U.S. democratic institutions. These well-documented trends are themselves alarming. Yet the next year will likely see an escalation in tensions and the risk of violence, due to political and cultural events, including the run-up to the U.S. presidential election and census.