Join Us in Preventing Targeted Violence
Perhaps I need to clear up a few things. My last article about preventing targeted violence raised a few concerns from folks. I am not saying we have had targeted violence in our area. We are working to keep targeted violence from happening. Or that we are being “watched” as in “spied on.” I am saying that we live in an area that is being studied by the Dept of Homeland Security. This is a good thing. And now I am asking those people who are interested in this topic to get involved.
If you think we don’t listen to each other anymore, can’t have conversations about contentious topics, or that violence is happening to people because of their race, sexual orientation, belief system or ethnicity, would you like to learn more about why? Would you like to get involved at the community level to discover some root causes and prevent targeted violence?
Mediation Services of Adams County Inc. is beginning our work with Urban Rural Action. URA is giving us the opportunity to use our skills in groups from varied backgrounds and ideologies to come up with projects that attempt to ease some of the root causes of targeted violence. We are looking for people from our community who would like to work with us.
“Four community organizations in south-central Pennsylvania are teaming up with the national non-profit Urban Rural Action to launch Uniting to Prevent Targeted Violence, an 18-month program to build new relationships across divides, implement projects that reduce risks of targeted violence, and raise community members' awareness of targeted violence. The participating organizations are CONTACT Helpline, Just for Today Recovery & Veteran’s Support Services, Mediation Services of Adams County, and Suicide Prevention of York.
Urban Rural Action is administering a public application process to form a cohort of 28 Pennsylvania Uniters in four south-central PA counties: Adams, Dauphin, Franklin, and York. The cohort will intentionally include people with different political views, racial identities, and age ranges.”
“Working together to prevent targeted violence takes what I have devoted my adult life to, using mediation to help people learn to be active listeners, to the next level," said Patti Robinson of Mediation Services of Adams County Inc. “We can use the skills of the community to heal deep pain that is turned against one another."
Interested community members can apply by December 16, 2022, through a two-step process at www.uraction.org/uptv.html. (https://www.uraction.org/pressnews.html)
It’s time for action. Right now, Adams County hasn’t experienced overt targeted violence, but read social media or radicalization websites. Listen to people on the street, your neighbors, there is anger. Should the community sit by and wait for an event that we will regret? Wouldn’t it be better to get involved and make a difference now?
Mediation Services of Adams County Inc. (MSAC) has trained mediators available to help people work through conflicts for an economical fee based on income. We also do presentations on mediation and de-escalation techniques. Call or text 717-334-7312, email at mediationac@yahoo.com, www.mediateadams.org.
Patti Robinson is President of the Board of MSAC and has 15 years of experience in transformative mediation.