We all have events or situations in our childhood that shape who we are today. While many are uplifting, there are less fortunate people who encountered childhood trauma, setting them off track to commit some of the most upsetting crimes. Dr. Jillian Peterson, President and Co-Founder of The Violence Project, has dedicated her career to … [Read more...]
Podcast: The Patterns Behind Mass Shootings and the Creation of The Violence Project
Do Police Officers Belong in Schools?
This morning, The Violence Project's Co-Founder Jillian Peterson and Board Member Missy Dodds spoke with Angela Davis on MPR News about safety in schools. The conversation was centered on why some school districts are removing school resource officers from school buildings and what could replace them while maintaining school safety. Davis, Dodds, … [Read more...]
What’s an ‘Incel’? Westgate Shooting Suspect Identifies with this Online Subculture
The Violence Project co-founder James Densley spoke with reporters from NBC's 12 News yesterday to talk about the Westgate Entertainment District shootings. In interviews with police, Westgate suspect Armando JR Hernandez has claimed to be an "incel," which Densley explains is "an online subculture focused on member's perceived inability to find … [Read more...]
Changing School Violence Prevention Approaches
While the names of victims and perpetrators are spread by the media, survivors of school shootings tend to be overlooked. Yet, the people directly affected by school shootings do not simply disappear. Missy Dodds is using her experience as a survivor of the 2005 Red Lake school shooting to reorient violence prevention approaches. Since the shooting … [Read more...]
Active Shooter Drills and Safe Storage of Firearms
In the lead up to the two year anniversary of the tragedy at Parkland this week, The Violence Project's research featured in a series of articles about school shootings. Jillian Peterson contributed to an NBC News story about the grassroots movement to pass gun safety policy through school boards and how safe storage of firearms could save … [Read more...]