Guardian View: Strategies to Avert Future Mass Killings
In a move that has raised eyebrows, the Trump administration proposed eliminating funding for the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) in 2023. This decision, made primarily due to the lack of "easy optics" or public visibility associated with prevention work, has been met with criticism as CP3's work in preventing targeted violence and terrorism is deemed crucial in the fight against such threats.
For over a decade, targeted violence has been on the rise, with attacks on government officials, political figures, business leaders, and everyday Americans becoming increasingly common. These attacks often share common characteristics such as grievance, radicalization, and easy domestic access to destructive weapons of war.
CP3, under the leadership of a 22-year-old just a year out of college, had been working tirelessly to develop new strategies for prevention, recognizing the unique nature of this threat and recalibrating accordingly. Their work involved collaborative, community-based intervention, engaging mental health services, schools, employers, religious and social organizations to intervene before individuals become violent.
The elimination of CP3's funding cannot be justified by the program’s cost, as it is only $18 million, a small fraction of the tax cuts given to the wealthy. This decision occurred just before the tragic targeted assassinations of Minnesota lawmakers and a gunman's targeted attack in midtown Manhattan, resulting in the deaths of four innocent people.
Prevention work does not provide easy opportunities for photo ops or other public displays of action. However, it is clear that prevention is crucial in the fight against targeted violence and terrorism. Mitigation and response alone are not enough.
Examples of such attacks include one by a former athlete who believed he suffered from a brain condition caused by the NFL, and another by a disaffected racist motivated by the white replacement theory who murdered ten Black New Yorkers in a Buffalo supermarket.
In response to the Trump administration's decision, Governor Kathy Hochul is expanding prevention teams with $10 million in annual commitments to build a statewide program covering New York City and 52 of the state's other 57 counties.
As we move forward, it is essential to prioritize prevention efforts and invest in long-term strategies that save lives. The rise of targeted attacks necessitates a shift in focus towards building new strategies for prevention, recognizing that prevention requires an altogether different strategy that goes beyond post-event measures.
- The ongoing debate in policy-and-legislation circles over the Trump administration's proposed elimination of funding for the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) in 2023, despite its critical work in crime-and-justice matters such as preventing targeted violence and terrorism, is a contentious issue in general-news and politics.
- As the elimination of CP3's funding healthcare for prevention work cannot be justified by its program cost, and with the recent spate of targeted attacks both in politics and society at large, there is a growing pressure on authorities to prioritize prevention work and invest in long-term strategies that save lives, shifting the focus away from mere mitigation and response measures.
