This week, many people across our country have been shaken by the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah. This murder is the latest tragedy in a series of acts of political violence. In June of this year, Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed at their home. Last July, President Trump was shot during a campaign stop in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Sadly, I could go on – there have been attacks on Rep. Gabby Giffords in front of a supermarket, Rep. Steve Scalise during a congressional baseball practice, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, at home by a man who wanted to take the Speaker hostage, and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Political violence is a terrible scourge, a blinking red alarm on whether our democracy can survive. Politics and government often require difficult choices – leaving some feeling elated and others deeply saddened or angry. As a society, we must be able to settle these disagreements without resorting to violence.
Shammas Malik
I often say that as mayor of Akron, I work for roughly 187,000 people. I try to act that way. When folks come up to me at Acme or Mustard Seed, I don’t care what their political opinions are – they’re my boss. I have a sacred responsibility to listen to everyone I work for. I work alongside an amazing team of roughly 2,000 public servants – police, fire, service workers, and more – to improve this city for all people.
Too often, we hear language that pits people into two camps – our people and our enemies. We must recognize that we are all in this together. While we can and should strongly share our own viewpoints and not shy away from real disagreements on policies or politics, we should never treat our fellow Americans like enemies.
I also want to highlight the impact of social media – a reminder first and foremost for myself. For all the benefits of instantaneous information sharing and connection, social media has become so dark and toxic. On Wednesday, after my last meeting of the day, I opened my phone, and the first thing the algorithm showed me was the video of Charlie Kirk’s death. Consuming this kind of content is dangerous – it dulls us to the worst of human behavior, normalizing it.
We live in difficult times, and there are no easy answers out there. But I want to share three ideas for how we move forward amidst political violence:
First, we should all treat one another with a base level of dignity and respect. As I said above, this doesn’t mean shying away from disagreement, but it does mean avoiding name-calling, insults and personal attacks.
Second, we all have opinions about things that need to change. For instance, I think it shouldn’t be so easy for folks with documented mental health challenges to get access to firearms, and that social media addiction is fueling anger, anxiety and depression. Pick an issue that matters deeply to you, and lean in on it – advocate more, connect with folks doing work in these fields. We need all hands working on the solutions, and we don’t have to agree on what those solutions are.
Third, take care of yourself. I try not to complain about negative energy directed towards me online – I signed up for it. But the world we’re living in takes a toll on all of us and we end up coping in unhealthy ways (eating too much Canes, for one). Try to find healthy ways to de-stress, whether its going for a walk, listening to music or hanging out with friends without your phone (three of my favorites).
Finally, we should acknowledge that the challenge of political violence is sadly not new. In 1968, our country witnessed the assassination of both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. On the night Dr. King was killed, Robert Kennedy was only months away from his own murder, and he gave one of the most powerful speeches I’ve ever heard. It ends with this:
“And let’s dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Mayor Malik shares ideas to move forward amid political violence