#de-escalation

#de-escalation

Humans have hated since the dawn of, well, humans, but these days it seems like we've elevated hate to a competitive sport. Whose hateful words, memes, and shouts gain the most views, shares, and comments? Whose amass the biggest following and build the strongest coalitions? Whose lead to election wins? But let's remember that sports rarely result in assassinations, murders, and war; hate too often does. We are regularly witnessing hate lead to actual violence. In turn, violence is leading to ever more hate.

I would hope that Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah is the voice that wins out at the end of the day. I don't know that I'm optimistic, but I think he's largely been pitch-perfect in this. And I'm still remembering, there is a 31-year-old man, who I didn't necessarily agree with on many things, but who's dead today and whose wife doesn't have him, and kids will be raised without him.

But Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican who has become a measured voice of the investigation into Kirk's killing, has urged Americans to resist "rage" in the wake of the shooting. Driving the news: Cox said on CNN's "State of the Union" that the country does not need to "sing Kumbaya and hold hands" - but rather, people must continue to engage with those with whom they disagree.

Since George Floyd's murder, calls have grown louder for accountability-essential but incomplete. Yes, we absolutely need to hold officers accountable and ensure that officers are punished for wrongdoing. But accountability is reactive-it comes only after a tragedy. Rarely does it drive prevention of the next tragedy. In fact, the threat of being sanctioned often creates perverse incentives-driving employees to cover up misconduct that helps explain why punishment alone fails to prevent the excessive use of force.

De-escalation is a method to prevent potential violence, emphasizing purposeful actions, verbal communication, and body language to calm dangerous situations and promote respectful outcomes.

"I've heard some of the frustration and concerns [from people in Northwest]. I've also heard some of the appreciation expressed by Portlanders in terms of the approach we took on Monday to try and deescalate things as the incident unfolded."