QUINN.

MAJERS AND QUINN.

>> Eric: MOVING INTO SOMETHING LSE.

AFTER THE POLITICAL ASSASSINATION HERE IN MINNESOTA, WE'RE CONTINUING TO LOOK FOR SOLUTIONS WITH THE ORGANIZATION MAJORITY IN THE MIDDLE.

OUR MARY LAHAMMER MODERATED A DISCUSSION ON CONFLICT RESOLUTION WITH SPECIFIC STEPS WE CAN ALL TAKE TO LOWER THE TEMPERATURE IN POLITICS AND MEDIA.

>> MY NAME IS AMANDA RIPLEY AND I AM A JOURNALIST AND THE COFOUNDER OF GOOD CONFLICT AND THE AUTHOR MOST RECENTLY OF HIGH CONFLICT.

>> Mary: RIPLEY MET WITH MINNESOTANS IN A CONVERSATION CONVENED BY "MAJORITY IN THE MIDDLE."

>> I WENT ON A QUEST TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND HOW PEOPLE AND EVEN WHOLE COMMUNITIES GET OUT OF REALLY UGLY CONFLICT.

>> Mary: THE AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST PROVIDES SOLUTIONS TO GET OUT OF UGLY HIGH CONFLICT.

>> IT JUST FELT LIKE WE WERE STUCK AS A COUNTRY.

IN CONFLICTS THAT WEREN'T GOING ANYWHERE.

>> Mary: HERE IN THE STATE, FOLLOWING THE FIRST ASSASSINATION OF A FEMALE POLITICIAN IN AMERICAN HISTORY, WE, TOO, WANTED SOME NEW TOOLS.

JOURNALISM, I FEEL LIKE, I'M TRYING TO TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY AND SPENDING EVEN MORE TIME SHOWING BIPARTISANSHIP, SHOWING LAWMAKERS WORKING TOGETHER, ACROSS THE AISLE, STANDING TOGETHER.

I'M LITERALLY DOING INTERVIEW WITH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS NOW SIDE BY SIDE.

HAVE YOU CHANGED DRAMATIC LOW?

>> I MAKE A BETTER MAR TEENI THAN I DID PRIOR TO JUNE 15TH.

[ Laughter ] >> OKAY, THAT'S A PERFECT ANSWER.

>> NOT DOING PUBLIC EVENTS.

>> Mary: YOU TWO TOGETHER ARE SOMETHING.

WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US?

>> A LOT OF WHAT WE DO IS TRAIN JOURNALISTS TO COVER CONFLICT IN MORE USEFUL WAYS.

THE MORE EXAMPLES THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH OTHER JOURNALISTS, THE MORE THEY CAN START TO SEE WHAT WE MEAN.

AND THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE NEED MOST DESPERATELY IS LIKE EXAMPLES.

>> I THINK IT'S GOOD TO HAVE MEMBERS OF THE PPOSITE PARTY, OPPOSITE CHAMBER, COME TOGETHER.

>> THIS IS A REFLECTION OF OUR DISTRICT.

>> PART OF HOW WE GOT HERE AS A COUNTRY IS FROM THE BEHAVIOR OF POLITICIANS AND JOURNALISTS WHO WERE ACTING AS CONFLICT ENTREPRENEURS.

AND SO PART OF HOW WE HAVE TO GET OUT IS A CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR BY POLITICIANS AND JOURNALISTS AND STORY TELLING AS YOU KNOW, MARY IS THE MOST POWERFUL WAY TO HELP PEOPLE IMAGINE A BETTER FUTURE.

>> WHAT IS IT THAT KEEPS YOU SHOWING UP WHEN SUCCESS IN THIS WORK IS, SHALL WE SAY, FEW AND FAR BETWEEN?

>> THE DAY OF THOSE ASSASSINATIONS WAS A HARD DAY.

IT'S VERY PAINFUL TO WATCH THESE THINGS HAPPEN.

WHAT MOTIVATES ME IS EVERY DAY I ENCOUNTER SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE SO TIRED OF WHAT WE'D GOT, AND SO EAGER TO DO CONFLICT DIFFERENTLY, WHETHER IT'S POLITICS OR THE NEWS OR SOCIAL MEDIA.

42% OF AMERICANS ARE ACTIVELY AVOIDING CONTENT WITH THE NEWS RIGHT NOW.

IT'S NOT THAT THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

THAT'S NOT IT.

IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE LAZY OR IGNORANT.

THEY ARE WANTING SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T YET EXIST.

>> Mary: FOR THE WORST ACT OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN MODERN HISTORY TO HAPPEN IN THIS STATE THAT WE THOUGHT WAS SUPER SPECIAL, JUST IT HITS EVEN HARDER, OW ENGAGED AND EDUCATED AND SMART OUR VOTERS ARE HERE, BUT HOW DO WE KEEP PEOPLE ENGAGED, AMANDA, EVEN WITH THIL INCREDIBLY SMART ELECTORATE WHO ARE EXHAUSTED.

>> WHAT I HEAR IS A KIND OF GRIEF, KIND OF WARNING, WHAT FEELS LIKE THE IDEA YOU HAD AND SO MANY HAVE HAD ABOUT THE COMMUNITY AND THE STATE CONTRASTED WITH WHAT HAS RECENTLY HAPPENED.

AND THAT IS IMPORTANT TO, LIKE, HOLD SPACE FOR, RIGHT?

I THINK WE HAVE TO LET OURSELVES GRIEVE THESE THINGS, AND REMEMBER THAT THOSE THINGS YOU SAID ARE STILL TRUE.

THOSE THINGS -- IT'S NOT ONE OR THE OTHER.

DRAWING ON HE HISTORY OF A COMMUNITY, OF A STATE, DRAWING ON THE VALUES THAT ARE SHARED, EVEN IF SOME OF THEM ARE MORE RHETORIC THAN REALITY IS VERY POWERFUL AND IMPORTANT AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE YOU HAVE TO START BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING EVERYBODY SHARES RARTDLESS OF THEIR ARTY.

IN A WAY, YOU KIND OF CAPTURED THE SOLUTION.

>> I WORK WE LOCATED BODIES AROUND THE COUNTRY ON CON -- >> SPANO WAS THE MAYOR OF ST. LOUIS PARK.

>> IN TWUPT, WE DID A STUDY OF THREATS TO LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS.

AND IN IT, 81% OF LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS SAID THAT THEY HAD BEEN HREATENED WITH VIEDGES.

I WAS ONE OF THOSE.

I RECEIVED DEATH THREATS.

WHAT WAS MOST TELLING TO ME AND WASN'T TALKED ABOUT AS MUCH IN THIS REPORT IS THE IMPACT ON FAMILIES.

THE FAMILIES OF ELECTED OFFICIALS.

MY CHILDREN AND WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH AND WHAT OTHER PEOPLE'S KIDS GO THROUGH.

I WILL ASSUME YOUR EST INTENTIONS.

THAT IS NOT TO SUGGEST THAT YOU ARE NOT MESSING WITH ME.

YOU MAY BE MESSING WITH ME.

BUT I'M NOT GOING TO START FROM A PLACE THAT AMANDA IS INTENTIONALLY TRYING TO HURT ME.

>> YOU'RE ACTUALLY APPEALING TO PEOPLE'S HIGHEST SELF, RIGHT?

BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE NEVER JUST ONE THING, EVEN PEOPLE WHO DO VIOLENT THINGS.

SO YOU'RE APPEALING TO PEOPLE'S HIGHEST SELF, LIKE THE PERSON THEY MOST WANT TO BE REMEMBERED AS.

>> I AM REALLY DRAWING THIS LINE OF JUST CASUAL THREATS OF VIOLENCE AND I AM HEARING IT SO MUCH.

LIKE, I'M SO BOUGHT INTO THIS, LIKE, I AM DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

>> MORE PEOPLE NEED TO SAY OUT LOUD WHETHER IT'S IN CONVERSATIONS LIKE THIS OR ON SOCIAL MEDIA OR WHATEVER, I AM REALLY UPSET BY THIS.

LIKE, THIS DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT.

>> DOES -- I'M GOING TO SAY -- RETREATING ALLOW THEN THE HIGH CONFLICT TO CONTINUE?

ARE THERE WAYS TO ADDRESS IT?

>> REASONABLE PEOPLE STOP GOING TO PROTESTS, AND THEY CERTAINLY DON'T LET THEIR KIDS COME AND THEY STOP EVENTUALLY VOTING ...

RIGHT, BECAUSE THEY'RE SCARED AND THAT'S TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT THEY ALSO STOP RUNNING FOR OFFICE.

I MEAN, I THINK ABSOLUTELY, THIS IS WHY YOU HAVE TO COME AT THIS FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT ANGLES AND MAKE IT SAFER, LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY FOR PEOPLE TO BE IN THE ARENA AND THE MORE OF US THAT STAY IN THE ARENA OR FIND WAYS O BE IN THE ARENA SAFELY, THE