Guns, violence and political extremism putting U.S. at risk of disaster, according to expert

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Guns, violence and political extremism putting U.S. at risk of disaster, according to expert​

New paper outlines threats to democracy unless actions are taken to reduce violence​

(SACRAMENTO)

November 4, 2021
One of the foremost experts on firearm violence in the U.S. is sounding the alarm that the rise in gun purchases, violence and political extremism is putting America at risk for disaster in the coming months.

In a sobering review and commentary published Nov. 2 in Injury Epidemiology, Garen Wintemute outlines how the U.S. got to this point, how the trends are converging, and what can be done to prevent or potentially reduce violence. Wintemute is an emergency department physician and director of the Violence Prevention Research Program (VPRP) at UC Davis and the California Firearm Violence Research Center.

The U.S. has seen an unprecedented surge in firearm purchases.

“We have no time to waste if we are to prevent the loss of thousands of lives and emerge with our democracy intact,” Wintemute said.

The United States has seen an unprecedented surge in firearm purchases that began in January 2020 and shows no signs of abating. Firearm sale background checks were almost 60% above expected levels from January 2020 through October 2021. An estimated 12.9 million excess background checks have been conducted during that period, out of 34.8 million checks altogether.

Violence has also significantly increased in the U.S. The violent crime most likely to include firearms, homicide, rose by nearly 27.5% nationwide in 2020, the greatest increase in the past 100 years. In the first quarter of 2021, anti-Asian American hate crimes in 16 cities and counties nationwide rose 164% over the previous year. In California, hate crimes rose 31% in 2020, and crimes involving racial bias rose 67%.

We have no time to waste if we are to prevent the loss of thousands of lives and emerge with our democracy intact.—Garen Wintemute

At the same time, public opinion polls paint a grim portrait of delusion, alienation and readiness for political violence in the U.S. Nearly 30% of adults and two-thirds of Republicans believe President Biden was not elected legitimately. The same poll found that more than a third of American adults and 56% of Republicans agree that “the traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast that we may have to use force to save it.”

Wintemute notes that policymakers have fed the fire by endorsing a military-style coup, and conservative states have increased the likelihood of violence with a wave of voter suppression laws reminiscent of the Jim Crow era.

“All of these examples, and many more, point to a strong possibility of large-scale political violence soon within the U.S.,” Wintemute said.

Wintemute is not alone in his assessment. Nearly 200 experts concluded that the U.S. democracy is now at risk, and terrorism experts talk of “almost certain” attempts at political violence. Wintemute sees many potential trigger points for violence — vaccine or mask mandates, armed voter suppression, seizure of public resources, private enforcement of the Texas abortion ban, fights over water rights and others.

Averting a crisis​

But although Wintemute thinks the risk is significant in the near future, his decades of work with violence prevention give him perspective on strategies that decrease violence, which he outlines in his review. Governments can decrease violence with investment in poor communities. Individuals can decrease violence by supporting initiatives that reduce disparity, increase opportunity and build inclusive communities.

“The country has a broader and deeper awareness of the structural causes of violence than at any time in the past 50 years, if not longer,” Wintemute said. “The proper reaction to the threat of violence is not more violence — nor is it giving up. We have no choice but to act now as if fundamental change is possible.”

Guns, violence and political extremism putting U.S. at risk of disaster, according to expert

Garen Wintemute, one of the foremost experts on firearm violence in the U.S., is sounding the alarm that increases in gun purchases, violence and political extremism are putting the United States at risk for disaster in the coming months.

health.ucdavis.edu

 

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I would add homelessness onto this list, it's becoming a serious social problem in US that no one can ignore.

 

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‘What about stray people?’: Chinese TikToker shocked by number of homeless people after living in US for 2 years​

November. 05 2021

A Chinese TikToker has shared her shock at the number of rough sleepers in her new city of Portland, Oregon.

She said she moved to America two years ago, and since then she has been struck by how stark the issue of homelessness is.

She shared how when she and her husband, Charlie were walking down the street, her “brain exploded” when Charlie told her that the people in the tents along the street were not camping.

She said: “When I was in China, I saw videos like this all the time. Some Americans rescue stray cats, stray dogs, they say ‘I’ll give you a home’. What about stray people? Do you want to give them a home?”

All of her American friends advised her to avoid making eye contact with homeless people, saying if they talk to her she should just walk away.

“It doesn’t sound right,” she said. “I don’t understand that you really just don’t care, that no one will do anything.”

If you see a homeless person in China, she said you are encouraged to call the police directly. Cops will then give the person a ticket to their hometown where they can access a local shelter.

“Normally on Chinese streets you don’t see homeless people,” she said.

She also thought it was absurd how in order to get a job in the US, you need an address. In China, you just need an ID, she said.

The top comment with over 59,000 likes reads: “In America, they don’t fix homelessness because they want it to be a threatening example of what could happen to you if you don’t work.”

A former social worker also left a comment, explaining that mental health and addiction issues are not the only reasons some people may avoid shelters. She wrote: “Some [shelters] are dehumanising or not safe to be in.”

Another TikToker also commented on the video, writing: “I was homeless for six months. We didn’t go to the shelters because they were either too unsafe or we had to participate in religious practices to stay.”


Turning the tables, one commenter wrote: “As an American who moved to China last year one of the biggest culture shocks was not seeing homeless people living on the streets.”

Another summed it up using a reference to The Good Place, writing: “Yeah… we’re the bad place”.

Chinese TikToker shocked by scale of homelessness in US

A Chinese TikToker has shared her shock at the number of rough sleepers in her new city of Portland, Oregon.She said she moved to America two years ago, and since then she has been struck by how stark the issue of homelessness is.She shared how when she and her husband, Charlie were walking down...

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