What fuels political violence and how to prevent it

What fuels political violence and how to prevent it

June 11, 2026 · 47 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the factors that contribute to political violence and strategies for prevention.

In the year since the assassination of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, concerns about political violence have continued to grow. MPR News guest host Catharine Richert and her guests talk about what fuels political violence and how to prevent it. Guests: Nealin Parker is the executive director of Common Ground USA , which is part of Search for Common Ground a global peace building organization. Kathryn Pearson is a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota. She is also an associate dean of undergraduate education and the director of the University Honors Program . Dr. Garen Wintemute is a professor of emergency medicine and director of the Centers for Violence Prevention at the University of California, Davis. Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts , Spotify or RSS . Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

People in this episode

Host: Catharine Richert

Guests: Nealin Parker, Kathryn Pearson, Dr. Garen Wintemute

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Common Ground USA, Search for Common Ground, University of Minnesota, University of California, Davis

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