Professor Jillian Peterson spoke with John Wanamaker on MPR about the differences between the Las Vegas gunman and other mass shooters she has studied. Dr. Peterson is working with Professor James Densley to better understand why mass shootings happen and ways to prevent them. Listen to the segment on MPR here. The Associated Press … [Read more...]
‘This shooter is a little different’: Hamline professor studies mass shootings
Hamline team researches the ‘why’ behind mass shootings
The Violence Project's Jillian Peterson sat down with Jana Shortal to discuss her research into mass shooters. As opposed to looking at mass shootings individually, Peterson and a team of students are looking at more than 25 years of mass shootings to compile a list of 130 mass shooters and identify commonalities. "When we try to prevent crime, … [Read more...]
How social media sends extremism into overdrive
The Violence Project's Jillian Peterson and James Densley wrote an article for CNN about how social media enables extremism. They examine how extreme groups coalesce and organize through social media, and what we can do to prevent it. "Let's stop being the audience the extremists want. If we walk out of the show, the extremists might be forced … [Read more...]
Verdict in police shooting of Philando Castile: The fear defense should have us all afraid
Why? Because it's emotional, not a rational assessment of danger. And police officers are trained to be particularly susceptible. Drs. James Densley and Jillian Peterson argue that because the fear defense is an expression of emotion rather than logic, the law needs to be changed. Bulletproof facts struggle to win debates or sway opinions on … [Read more...]
Why the trend of posting gruesome acts online?
Police have found the suspect who shot and killed an elderly victim and posted footage of the deed on Facebook. He took his own life before he could be taken into custody. His act was yet another example of a new trend — “performance violence” on social media. From the live torture of a mentally disabled teenager in Chicago to the performance … [Read more...]