Recent headlines including a racially charged assault in Madisonville to an attempted attack on President TrumpPresident Trump, are raising questions about whether the country is seeing an increase in targeted violence.
Former New Orleans Police Department Chief Ronal Serpas says there are different ways to understand how these incidents happen.
“You first have to look at how a person was raised,” Serpas said. “Were they taught right from wrong and how to function in society?”
From there, he says, it’s important to consider how individuals connect, or disconnect, from the world around them.
“People who feel socially isolated or on the outside of society can be more vulnerable to committing violent acts,” he said.
Serpas also points to another group of individuals who may have had stable upbringings but are influenced later in life.
“There are people who know right from wrong and were socially accepted,” he said. “But they can find themselves in echo chambers, often online, where their beliefs are reinforced.”
Those environments, he says, can lead some to justify extreme actions.
“They begin to see violence as necessary to correct what they perceive as wrongs,” Serpas said.
With social media amplifying viewpoints and political polarization deepening divides, Serpas says the broader environment may be contributing to the issue.
“As we become more divided and more isolated into our own silos, we may see more of this type of violence,” he said.
He says recognizing these patterns is key to understanding, and ultimately addressing, the conditions that can lead to such acts.
