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Experts worry about violent political rhetoric
University of Minnesota political science professors weigh on violent political rhetoric.
MINNEAPOLIS — Political science experts worry political rhetoric could lead to more violence.
“It is all extremely disturbing, but I worry that with the rhetoric of violence continuing, we’re going to see more violence,” said University of Minnesota Political Science Professor Kathryn Pearson.
Since 2016, Pearson said there has been an increase in violent rhetoric.
“The rhetoric has sort of been building despite the increase in actual violence and the threats on politicians’ lives,” Pearson said.
Pearson said the tone at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions will be key in uniting the country.
“I’m really hopeful the public will head sort of what President Biden, former president Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson have said, which is to tone down the rhetoric,” she said.
Political leaders want the rhetoric to cool down to prevent more violence from happening. But, when Pearson looks online, she’s disappointed by what she sees.
“If you turn to social media, you can see that a lot of politicians and a lot of people out there in America haven’t toned it down,” she said.
University of Minnesota Political Science and Psychology Professor Howard Lavine isn’t as optimistic the Republican and Democratic parties will carry the message of unity for long.
“I don’t think so, no. I think the rhetoric is where it is in part because we’re so polarized, our underlying identities are now attached to partisanship,” Lavine said. “I think it’s unlikely, especially as we roll into an election that we’re going to see anything but an upping of the tone, especially if either party feels like it’s in their advantage to do so.”
He said it’s in neither party’s interest to stop attacking the other side.
“Negativity tends to be more persuasive than positivity, so negative information tends to weigh more. There’s a lot of research to back this up over a period of decades,” he said.
Lavine said it’s been a long time since Americans have united, and he doesn’t believe the assassination attempt on Trump will bring people together.
“He was able to walk off the stage, he was able to show a strong sense of defiance, so I don’t think this is anything like a moment,” he said. “9/11 was a moment and 9/11 didn’t last long either, but that was probably the last moment that we all came together at least as Americans for a period of time.”
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a plan to shut down the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) on Thursday.
The resolution comes after decades of protests against the massive North Loop trash incinerator that burns roughly 365,000 tons of garbage a year.
“Today is a big step towards protecting the health of our communities and addressing longstanding environmental injustices that disproportionately impact communities of color,” said councilmember Robin Wonsley, in a statement.
The resolution calls for the incinerator to be permanently closed by Dec 31, 2027 and for the entire facility to be shut down by Dec 31, 2033.
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
In October 2023, the Hennepin County Board signed off on a plan to close the HERC between 2028 and 2040, depending on how quickly the county can transition into a zero-waste system.
Of the garbage burned at the HERC, 75% comes from the city of Minneapolis. The other 25% comes from a dozen other cities in the area. The HERC produces enough energy to power more than 25,000 homes and half the buildings in downtown Minneapolis.
At a City Council Meeting on Oct. 10, Jenni Lansing with the City of Minneapolis Health Department provided analysis on the air pollution impacts of HERC. She said the health department supports working towards a zero-waste future and the ultimate closure of HERC, but said closing it now is not the solution.
“Overall emissions in Hennepin County are dominated by on-road and non-road, mobile and nonpoint sources, and these sources drive the cancer and non-cancer risks to health in Minneapolis,” Lansing said.
Hennepin County defines zero waste as preventing 90% or more of all discarded materials from being landfilled or incinerated.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The snow is really coming down in some places with Maple Lake getting 3.5″ so far.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — The wettest Halloween storm ever — is making mischief before little trick-or-treaters hit their neighborhood’s slushy streets.
Officials are reporting several power outages and car spin-outs.
There have been over 14,000 power outages, according to Xcel Energy.
The Minnesota State Patrol has responded to 169 crashes and 94 vehicles off the road, as of 2. pm. Thursday.
Meteorologist Beny Dery said an additional 1 to 2″ of snow is possible before things taper off this evening.
So far some of the totals around town are: 3.5″ Maple Lake, 3.0″ Buffalo, 2.5″ Dassel, 2.4″ Windom, 2.0″ St. Bonifacious, 1.5″ Maple Plain and 1.5″ in Bethel.
The snow is expected to let up from west to east and should wrap up for the metro between 5 to 6 p.m.
Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
