The latest attack motivated by hate in Boulder, Colo., came as a shock but not a surprise. Who could argue with an attempt to highlight the plight of the hostages still held by Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel? Apparently, a man with a makeshift flame-thrower, whose disagreement with the Israeli government’s policies toward Palestinians in Gaza allegedly motivated his actions.

Political disagreements are perfectly legitimate. Crossing the line into violence is not.

Yet a majority of voters in a recent Rasmussen Reports survey don’t believe the situation will improve. They instead see a decline in the level of civility in American political life and expect political violence to increase in the next few years.

Maybe they’ve just been paying attention.

This month marks the 10th anniversary of the June 17, 2015, shooting of nine parishioners at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., by a racist frustrated by his own life choices and eager to blame someone else — in this case, Black people.

A 21-year-old man hardly needed the cues he picked up from the internet to turn his dissatisfaction into hate. He didn’t start the race war he desired or improve his situation; he murdered the kind people who had just prayed with him, depriving their families and communities of their gifts.

Judges in America trying to do their jobs are facing an increasing number of threats as leaders angry at decisions that don’t go their way hurl insults, using words vague enough to claim plausible deniability. Some judges, doubtful that a federal government that fights them every step of the way can be trusted to protect them, are looking into supplying security for themselves and family members.

In an America whose citizens brag about “exceptionalism,” hate-fueled violence has become so commonplace, many turn away until the next headline. Yes, America has exploded into violence in its history, as tensions in a big, diverse nation struggling to live up to the ideals in its founding documents have reached the boiling point.

But weren’t we supposed to be making progress toward a more perfect union?

Interestingly, an organization founded by Jake Harriman is called More Perfect Union. The veteran-led, nonpartisan civic organization “aims to unite the country and strengthen our communities through social connection, service, and civic engagement,” he said in a recent email.

Harriman said that “at a time when trust in our neighbors is at an all-time low, veterans can play a crucial role in bringing us together.”

It was the view from abroad that led Harriman to recognize the trouble in his own country. “I spent 15 years of my life living and operating in fragile regions, working to build trust among warring factions and prevent the spread of extremist ideologies,” he said. 

Harriman points to his time in the Marines and his founding of Nuru International, a group that works to end poverty in conflict areas: “In those years, I saw what kind of destruction could be brought about when communities and countries are divided.”

When he returned home, he said, “I began to realize that it wasn’t ISIS or Al Qaeda that were going to defeat America — it was going to be us.”

“Hate and anger won’t just fade away,” he said. “They grow when left unchecked. If not addressed, we could be staring down the barrel of a country we no longer recognize.”

In any society, when leaders and influencers “teach us to ‘otherize’ groups of people who do not think like us or look like us,” until they become “the object of blame and hatred,” the first step toward a solution “is deceptively simple,” he said. “We need to reconnect with our own neighbors.”

“Getting involved in your community through service projects, volunteer work, and civic engagement is a great place to start. Connect with those around you, including, and especially, those who differ from you ideologically,” Harriman said, until “we begin to humanize one another again.”

That won’t be an easy task at a time when many Americans see political opponents as not merely wrong but evil and want to stay as far away as possible from anyone who won’t mirror what we already believe.

But Harriman said he sees hope in the surge of interest in his organization since the 2024 election, with 35,000 members in all 50 states. Local chapters come together for community events related to service, civics and social gatherings.

“Communities with greater levels of trust and stronger civic bonds demonstrate higher voter turnout and increased political education, meaning elections better represent public opinion,” he said. “And that’s when real change begins.”

Mary C. Curtis has worked at The New York Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Charlotte Observer, as national correspondent for Politics Daily, and is a senior facilitator with The OpEd Project. She is host of the CQ Roll Call “Equal Time with Mary C. Curtis” podcast. Follow her on X @mcurtisnc3.