Roper: The legacy of June 14 hinges on confronting a vicious cycle in our politics

How do we quantify what’s draining from our public discourse because of toxic politics?

How many people decide at a kitchen table not to run for school board? Decline to speak up at a public meeting? Opt not to send a letter to the editor?

These were relevant questions before the assassination of Rep. Melissa Hortman. Now, this bloody tragedy threatens to have a major chilling effect on public participation — if we allow it to. The legacy of June 14 will hinge on our ability to confront a vicious cycle plaguing our politics.

I think it goes like this:

Heightened rhetoric (with occasional intimidation and now violence) discourages open-minded people from engaging in public life, for their own safety or sanity. Drip by drip, they leave the conversation. This leaves less room for nuance in civic debates, which further alienates people from participating.

My fear is that we will move on from June 14 without pivoting. We have to plant a stake in the ground. Should June 14, Flag Day, also become known as “Minnesota Civility in Politics Day”? We could hold annual debate tournaments for students and adults on our toughest issues. How will we teach kids 50 years from now where our state drew the line?

Minnesota prides itself on civic participation. We can lead the way. Let’s make something positive come from this horrific situation.

What happened this weekend was so vile that it’s hard to even talk about it in relation to the day-to-day escalation of our politics at all levels. Yet Hortman herself was concerned in the years leading up to her murder.

Protestors visited her house in 2020, which was already a stressful time to be in politics. “She was personally afraid. She worried for her safety,” said former state Rep. Ryan Winkler, who served as majority leader when Hortman was House speaker. He recommended at one point that she check into a hotel, which she did. Her anxiety grew after the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

“There were times she talked about stepping aside or hanging up her leadership role,” Winkler said. “But I don’t think she ever came close to actually taking that step.”

We’ve grown accustomed in recent years to hearing about protests at the homes of prominent figures. Just last week, people vandalized the homes of University of Minnesota Regents because of the sale of land to an aerospace company. City leaders have tried sounding the alarm about escalating threats they are receiving.

Taken collectively, there are a lot of incentives to stay out of public discourse altogether.

One former local official I spoke with is still reeling from the stress of being in public office. Multiple death threats and the growing risk of violence contributed to their decision to retire. They are processing it in therapy.

I believe that we can fix this first at a local level. We have to reset the norms and restore decorum. We need more public displays of nuanced, respectful debate. We need to call out when people have crossed a line — especially among political allies.

Sometimes it takes a catalyzing event to make a change. This could be ours.

To move in a new direction, we also need to quantify the toll that all this is taking on public participation. It’s difficult to show the absence of something, however.

I would appreciate your thoughts for a future column. Have you considered running for office in recent years, but chosen not to? Have you decided not to say something in public, for fear of retaliation? What can we do to ensure June 14 becomes a turning point?

Email me at eric.roper@startribune.com. And given the subject matter, let me know if you would prefer that I not use your full name.